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THE LIFE OF CHRIST 




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THE 

LIFE OF CHRIST 



ADAPTED FROM THE ORIGINAL OF 
.REV. L. C. BUSINGER BY 

REV. JOHN E. MULLETT 



PUBLISHED WITH THE IMPRIMATUR OF 
HIS EMINENCE 

THE CARDINAL ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK 



ILLUSTRATED 



NEW YORK CINCINNATI CHICAGO 
BENZIGER BROTHERS 

Printers to the I Publishers of 

Holy Apostolic See | Benziger's Magazine 

1913 






mm ©bstan 

REMY LAFORT, 

Censor Librorum. 



Umprimatur. 

•J^JOHN CARDINAL FARLEY, 

Archbishop qf New York. 



New York, March 4, 1913. 



Copyright, 1913, by Benziger Brothers 



I CONTENTS 

*^ FIRST PART 

^ General Preparation for the Coming of the Redeemer ; 
^ or the Wonders and Revelations op God in the Old 
^ Law, until the ''Fullness of Time'* 

PAGE 

^' Chapter I.— Jerusalem and the Jewish Nation at the 

(S Time of Christ's Coming 9 

_^ Chapter II. — The Roman Empire at the Birth of Christ 16 

< Chapter III.— "The Fullness of Time" 21 

SECOND PART 

Immediate or Proximate Preparation for the Coming of 

THE Redeemer 

Chapter I. — The Mystery of the Incarnation 23 

Chapter II. — The Angel's Greeting to Mary 27 

Chapter III.— Mary's Answer 33 

Chapter IV.— Mary's Visit to Elizabeth 35 

THIRD PART 

Birth, Infancy, and Youth of Jesus Christ 
Chapter I. — The Journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethle- 
hem 43 

Chapter II.— No Shelter in Bethlehem for Mary and 

Joseph 46 

Chapter III.— The Birth of Our Saviour Jesus Christ. . 48 

Chapter IV. — Other Events of Christmas Night 52 

Chapter V. — The Divine Infant is Circumcised and 

Called Jesus 54 

Chapter VI. — The Three Wise Men are Called from the 

East : -: . . , 57 

Chapter VII.— The Three W;ise Men Make Their Adora- 
tion to the Infant Jesus ." . ' 62 

Chapter VIII.— The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. 

The Purification of the Blessed Virgin. Candlemas. . . 64 
Chapter IX.— The Flight into Egypt. The Slaughter of 

the Innocents 68 

Chapter X.— Return of the Holy Family from Egypt. 71 

Chapter XI.— The Growth of Jesus 73 

3 



4 CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter XII.— Jesus, at the Age of Twelve, Visits the 

Temple 75 

Chapter XIII.— The Holy Family at Nazareth 78 



FOURTH PART 

Jesus in His Sacred Office of Teacher 
I. immediate preparation 

Chapter I.— St. John Preaching Penance 81 

Chapter II.— The Baptism of Jesus Christ 84 

Chapter III.— The Forty Days Fast. The Temptation . . 85 
Chapter IV.— The Testimony of St. John the Baptist. 

The First Disciples of Jesus Christ 87 

Chapter V.— Jesus at the Wedding Festival in Cana of 

Galilee 89 

II. HISTORY OF JESUS FROM THE FIRST PASSOVER AFTER HIS 

BAPTISM IN THE JORDAN, TO HIS SECOND PASSOVER 

Chapter VI.— Jesus at the Feast of the Passover in 
Jerusalem. He Drives the Buyers and Sellers out of 
the Temple, Etc 92 

Chapter VII.— Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at 
Jacob's Well 96 

Chapter VIIL — The First Sermon of Jesus. He Heals 
the Centurion's Son. Repeats His Calling of Peter, 
Andrew, and Jacob. Miraculous Cures 99 

Chapter IX.— The Miraculous Draught of Fishes 104 

Chapter X.— The Paralytic. Call of Matthew. Fasting. 105 

III. LIFE OF JESUS, FROM THE SECOND PASSOVER AFTER HIS BAP- 

TISM TILL THE THIRD FEAST OF THE PASSOVER 

Chapter XL— The Sick Man-; at the Pool of Bethsaida. 

Jesus Asserts His Divinity,;'-.' 108 

Chapter XII. — Christ's Disciples Pluck Ears of Corn on 

the Sabbath-Day. Jesus Cures Several Sick Persons . . 112 
Chapter XIII. — Christ Calls the Twelve Apostles and 

Imparts to them Salutary Admonitions and Instruction 113 

Chapter XIV.— The Sermon on the Mount 117 

Chapter XV.— Jesus Cleanses the Leper, and Restores 

the Centurion's Servant 130 



©CU350131 



CONTENTS 5 

PAGE 

Chapter XVI.— Jesus Raises the Widow's Son to Life. . 132 
Chapter XVII. — The Disciples of John Come to Jesus. 
He Praises John, and Deplores the Want of Faith 

among the Jews 133 

Chapter XVIII. — The Conversion of Mary Magdalen. . . 136 
Chapter XIX.— Healing of the Blind and Dumb De- 
moniac. Perversion of the Pharisees 137 

Chapter XX. — The Mother and Brethren of Jesus 139 

Chapter XXI. — Jesus Preaches from the Ship 141 

Chapter XXII. -Christ Stills the Storm 145 

Chapter XXIII. — The Two Persons Possessed by the 

Devil in the Land of the Gerasens 146 

Chapter XXIV. — Jesus Heals the Woman with an Issue 
of Blood. He Raises the Daughter of Jairus from the 

Dead 148 

Chapter XXV. — The Healing of Two Blind Men, and of 

One Possessed by a Devil 150 

Chapter XXVI. — The Beheading of John the Baptist. . 151 
Chapter XXVIL— Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand Men 152 
Chapter XXVIIL— Jesus Walks on the Water, and 

Calms another Storm. Peter Walks on the Water 154 

Chapter XXIX.— Jesus the Bread of Life. He Promises 
the Holy Eucharist 155 



IV. the ministry of JESUS CHRIST FROM THE THIRD PASSOVER 

AFTER HIS BAPTISM IN THE JORDAN, UNTIL THE FOURTH 

PASSOVER; THAT IS, TILL THE V^EEK OF HIS PASSION 

Chapter XXX. — The Difference between Outward 
Righteousness and Internal Purity of the Heart 160 

Chapter XXXI.— Jesus Cures the Daughter of the 
Woman of Chanaan and the Deaf and Dumb Man .... 162 

Chapter XXXIL— Jesus Feeds Four Thousand Men 
with Seven Loaves. The Sign of Jonas. The Disciples' 
want of Faith. The Blind Man at Bethsaida 164 

Chapter XXXIII. — Christ Appoints Peter as Head of 
the Church. He Foretells His Sufferings, and Exacts 
from His Disciples Self-Denial and Open Profession 
of their Faith 166 

Chapter XXXIV. — The Transfiguration 168 

Chapter XXXV.— Jesus Cures the Lunatic Child, Fore- 
tells His Passion and Death, and Pays the Tribute for 
Himself and Peter 170 



6 CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter XXXVI.— Jesus Preaches on Humility, Pa- 
tience, the Shunning of Scandal, Brotherly Counsel, 
and Forgiveness 173 

Chapter XXXVII.— Jesus is Rejected by the Samari- 
tans. The Departure and Return of the Seventy-two 
Disciples 176 

Chapter XXXVIII.— The Good Samaritan. Martha and 
Mary 179 

Chapter XXXIX.— Prayer 181 

Chapter XL.— Jesus Cures a Possessed Person. Blas- 
phemy of the Jews. A Woman of the People Extols the 
Mother of Jesus. He Threatens the Scribes and Phari- 
sees and other Unbelieving Jews 182 

Chapter XLI.— Several Rules of Conduct for the Dis- 
ciples. On Contempt for Worldly Goods, and on 
Watchfulness 185 

Chapter XLII. — Exhortation to Penance. The Parable 
of the Fig-tree. The Healing of the Crooked Woman 
on the Sabbath. The Parable of the Mustard-Seed and 
of the Leaven. The Number of the Damned. The 
Destruction of Jerusalem 189 

Chapter XLIIL— Jesus Cures the Dropsical Man on the 
Sabbath, and Preaches Humility and Mercy. The Par- 
ables of the Great Supper, the Unfinished Tower, and 
War ; of the Stray Sheep, the Lost Drachma, the Prod- 
igal Son, and the Dishonored Steward. 192 

Chapter XLIV.— The Parable of the Rich Glutton, and 
the Beggar. On the Indissolubility of Marriage. Ad- 
monitions 199 

Chapter XL V.— Jesus at the Feast of the Tabernacles in 
Jerusalem 202 

Chapter XLVL— Christ Pardons the Woman Charged 
with Adultery. He Teaches again in the Temple. The 
Jews Attempt to Stone Him 207 

Chapter XL VII.— The Blind Man Cured on the Sab- 
bath-Day. Jesus, the Good Shepherd 210 

Chapter XL VIII.— The Ten Lepers. The Second Com- 
ing of Christ. The Persevering Prayer of the Widow. 
The Humble Prayer of the Publican. The Feast of the 
Dedication at Jerusalem 220 

Chapter XLIX.— Jesus the Children's Friend. Chris- 
tian Duty and Christian Perfection. The Reward of 
the Faithful Followers of Christ. The Parable of the 
Laborers in the Vineyard . 224 



CONTENTS 7 

PAGE 

Chapter L.— Jesus Raises Lazarus to Life. The Jews 
Resolve to put Christ to Death 226 

Chapter LL — Christ Foretells His Passion and Death. 
The Unreasonable Demand of the Sons of Zebedee. . . . 230 

Chapter LII. — The Healing of the Blind Man near Jer- 
icho. Zaccheus the Publican. The Parable of the Ten 
Talents 231 

Chapter LIII.— Jesus in the House of Simon the Leper. 
Mary Magdalen Anoints His Feet 234 



FIFTH PART 

The Passion Week op Our Lord Jesus Christ 

Chapter I. — Creation Week. Passion Week. Holy Week. 
The Sufferings of Jesus Christ in General. The Events 
of each Day during the Week of His Suffering 236 

Chapter II. — Christ's Entry into Jerusalem 249 

Chapter III. — The Fruitless Fig-tree. The Buyers and 
Sellers in the Temple 261 

Chapter IV. — The Power of Faith. Christ's Contro- 
versies with the Pharisees. Various Parables 264 

Chapter V. — The Coin of Tribute. The Life Hereafter. 
The Great Commandment. Jesus Puts the Pharisees to 
Shame and Condemns Them 272 

Chapter VI. — The Widow's Mite. The Destruction of 
Jerusalem. The General Judgment 286 

Chapter VII.— How to Prepare for the Second Coming 
of Christ. Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. 
Of the Faithful and Unfaithful Servants. The Sen- 
tence of the Judge. The Separation of the Good from 
the Bad 300 

Chapter VIII. — The Jews Lay Plans to Put Jesus to 
Death. Judas Iscariot offers to Deliver His Lord and 
Master into Their Hands. Jesus Makes Known His 
Sufferings and Death to His Beloved Mother Mary. . . . 308 

Chapter IX. — The Last Supper 313 

Chapter X. — The Discourse of Jesus on His Way to 
Mount Olivet 333 

Chapter XL — Our Lord's Intercessory Prayer 341 

Chapter XII. — Christ in the Gai^den of Gethsemane. . . . 343 

Chapter XIII. — The Passion Night 354 



8 CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter XIV.— The High Court Sits in Judgment on 

Jesus. The Despair of Judas 361 

Chapter XV.— Jesus Before Pilate and Herod 363 

Chapter XVI. — Barabbas Pieferred by the Jews to Je- 
sus. Jesus Delivered uj) by Pilale to be Scourged, 

Mocked, and Crucified 369 

Chapter XVII.— The Way of the Cross 377 

Chapter XVIII.— The Crucifixion 380 

Chapter XIX. — The Seven Last Words of Jesus 383 

Chapter XX.— IMiraculous Events at the Death of Jesus, 
His Side is Pierced. The Descent from the Cross. The 
Burial. He Appears to the Souls of the Just in Limbo 392 



SIXTH PART 

The TRroMPH of Jesus Christ. His Mysterious and Mirac- 
ulous Life in His Church 

Chapter I.— The Resurrection of Jesus. He Appears to 
His Mother Mary, to Mary JNIagdalen, and to the Other 
Devout Women 402 

Chapter II.— The Third and Fouith Appearances of Je- 
sus. He Appears to the Two Disciples on the Road to 
Eramaus, and to Simon Peter 413 

Chapter III.— The Fifth and Sixth Appearances of Je- 
sus. Institution of the Sacrament of Penance. The 
Unbelieving Thomas 415 

Chapter IV. — The Seventh and Eighth Appearances of 
Jesus. The IMiraculous Draught of Fishes. Jesus Com- 
mits the Office of Supreme Pastor to Peter 418 

Chapter V.— The Ninth Appearance of Je.sus. His As- 
cension 423 

Chapter VI. — The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary af- 
ter the Ascension of Jesus. Her Happy Death. Her 
Burial. Her Miraculous Translation into Heaven. . . . 426 

Chapter VII.— The Life of Jesus Christ Mysteriously 
and Miraculously Continued in His Church upon 
Earth 434 



THE LIFE OF CHRIST 



PART I 

General Preparation for the Coining of the Redeemer. 

CHAPTER I 

JERUSALEM AND THE JEWISH NATION AT THE 
TIME OF CHRIST'S COMING 

1. Heeod, the Tyrant 

Before we enter upon the consideration of the glorious 
advent of that Lord of hosts foretold by the prophet Mala- 
ehias, let us cast a glance at the beautiful city of Jerusalem, 
and also at the condition of the Jewish people from whom 
this Ruler is to spring and to whom He is to come. Herod, 
the stranger, had obtained the scepter and now ruled over 
Judea. He was a wicked and bloodthirsty hypocrite, who 
sometimes affected to entertain great respect for the religion 
of the Jews and profound reverence for the one true God ; at 
other times would introduce the abominations of idolatry, 
persecute the Jews, and even put their most respectable citizens 
to death. In his jealousy, he murdered his relatives, and even 
his own children ; and by artifice or force gradually dispersed 
all the descendants of the Machabean princes and those of the 
high-priest. Toward the close of his unprincipled life he 
suffered much from a cancer ; worms preyed upon his entrails, 
and so intense was his pain that he sought to hasten his death 
by his own hand. But the age-stricken arm was powerless 
to add one more murder to its long category, so he was com- 
pelled to pass five days in the agony of death, and at length 
died in anguish and despair. Previous to his demise he had 
divided the kingdom of Juda among his four sons, Archelaus, 
Herod, Antipas, and Philip. 

9 



10 JERUSALEM AND THE JEWISH NATION 
2. The Herodian Temple 

It may be a matter of surprise to the reader to learn that 
this impious man rebuilt the temple of Jerusalem. Actuated 
by a desire to propitiate his Jewish subjects and to perpetuate 
his own name, he lavished upon this building such an amount 
of money and labor that it even surpassed Solomon's temple 
in size and splendor. The Jewish historian, Flavins Josephus, 
thus describes this magnificent edifice: "In order to gain 
space for the increased size of the temple, Herod built in the 
valley, at the foot of Mount Moria, a wall four hundred feet 
in height, and the space intervening between the mountain- 
side and this wall he filled with an immense amount of earth. 
The entire wall supporting this newly made ground consisted 
of large square blocks of white marble. Above this founda- 
tion arose the temple in terrace form. The outside building 
was called the court of the Gentiles, and was enclosed by a 
wall of marble nearly a Roman half mile in length. Sev- 
eral large doors opened through this enclosing-wall, and 
on it were galleries, saloons, and many lofty spires or 'pin- 
nacles of the temple.' From these heights the priests used 
to blow the trumpets announcing the morning and evening 
hours of sacrifice, and proclaiming the different solemnities 
of the year. This outer court was open to all, and within its 
precincts were the temple market, in which were bought and 
sold animals for the sacrifices and other articles for religious 
uses, such as wine, oil, meal, etc. Even the money-exchange 
had a place here." 

"Within this outer court, and several steps higher, w^as 
Solomon's porch, or the court for the Jews; likewise, sur- 
rounded by a wall on which were stately colonnades, elegant 
corridors, flanked by apartments for those who ministered in 
the temple. Only Israelites, to the exclusion of foreigners, 
were admitted here ; and within its favored walls Jesus often 
delivered His most touching lessons of wisdom, and wrought 
many of His greatest miracles. Into the next apartment, 
several steps still higher, Jesus never entered, for it was the 
court of the priests. 

Twelve steps still higher was the temple proper, divided into 
the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies. Nearly the whole 
upper structure was composed of immense square blocks of a 
brilliantly white marble; so that a stranger approaching the 
city from a distance would imagine that he saw a high moun- 



AT THE TIME OF CHRIST'S COMING 11 

tain of peculiar shape, having its summit capped with snow. 
The main roof was of cypress-wood, overlaid with heavy 
plates of gold. The rebuilding of this temple began sixteen 
years before the birth of Jesus Christ, and was going on 
during His lifetime, and continued till the thirtieth year 
after His ascension. ''Six and forty years," said the Jews to 
Jesus when He spoke of raising the temple of His body in 
three days, "has this temple been building." 

3. Description op Jerusalem 

The enlargement and beautifying of the temple was not the 
only work accomplished by the ostentatious Herod. He built 
whole cities where none existed before, and adorned his own 
capital with forts, towers, palaces, and theaters; all of large 
dimensions and expensive material and finish, so that Jeru- 
salem might well be compared to a queen seated upon her 
throne. 

The city really did sit upon three mountains: Sion, Moria, 
and Akra; and from whatever side the traveler came he had 
to "go up to Jerusalem." The prospect from either of these 
three heights was very fine, for the delighted eye of the spec- 
tator might roam over nearly the whole extent of the Prom- 
ised Land. On three sides of the city, the hills descended 
precipitately into three valleys; on the east, to the valley of 
Cedron ; on the west, to that of Gihon ; and on the south, to 
the barren vale of Gehenna, which was considered among the 
Jews as accursed, because in it their forefathers had once slain 
their children in sacrifice to the pagan deity Moloch. It was 
to this gloomy valley that Judas hastened after his betrayal of 
his blessed Master, to wander about for a time in an agony of 
remorse and finally to hang himself in despair. The vale of 
the brook Cedron, called also the valley of Josaphat, separated 
the mount on which the temple stood from the Mount of 
Olives. This last mount, with its gently rising terraces, its 
secluded caverns, its groves of olive trees, and its flowery 
meadows, was the favorite retreat of our blessed Saviour. 
Here, within its quiet recesses, whence He could easily discern 
the massive walls of the temple beyond, and the stately build- 
ings of the city of His love, having at His feet the valley of 
Josaphat with its tombs of the ancient judges of Israel, of 
her kings, of Josaphat, of Absalom, and of the chief people 
of His race, all partially hidden in the groves of olive trees; 



V2 JERUSALEM AND THE JEWISH NATION 

here Jesus loved to linger ; here He passed the solemn hours of 
night in praying for the new Jerusalem and the miraculous 
new temple of the Lord, which He had come to build for all 
generations. It was from this Mount of Olives that He began, 
on the dreadful night of His agony and betrayal. His sad 
march across the soft-Howing Cedi-on, through the Ophla 
quarter of the city, up to the courts of Annas and Caiphas on 
Mount Sion. 

In the time of Jesus, Jerusalem was divided into four parts, 
each surrounded with its own walls, towers, and moats, and 
protected by well-located fortilications. The traveler com- 
ing from the north advanced by a gently ascending road to 
what was called the new city, the least elevated part of the 
town, and inhabited chiefly by the working classes. At the 
time of our Saviour, this (luarter of the city, together with 
the adjoining Mount Calvary, lay without the city proper, 
and was surrounded with walls only at a later period. (Joing 
in a southeasterly direction from this point, the traveler 
came upon the temple-mountain, or Mount ]\loria, in what was 
called the city of Solomon, where arose before him in majestic 
grandeur the temple of Jehova, surrounded by the habitations 
of the priests and Levites. On a still higher elevation stood 
the castle of Antonia, also built by Herod I, and near by was 
Pilate's Prtetorium, or court of justice, with its marble halls 
and stately terraces, and within whose walls the Roman gov- 
ernors administered justice. On the southern slope of Mount 
Moria, toward the brook Cedron, lay the suburb of Ophla, 
occupied by the day-laborers and their families. On a hill 
toward the west, and separated from the temple-mountain by 
a deep gorge, rose the strong fortress of Akra, around whose 
base clustered a large population in the lower town. 

On the south was what was called David's city, built upon 
Mount Sion, the highest point in all Jerusalem, and connected 
by a strong and massive bridge with the temple-mountain. 
This part, originally called Salem, was the oldest quarter of 
the city, and had been built by King Melchisedech. Here 
David, Solomon, and other kings of Juda, and in later days 
King Herod, had built strong forts and fine palaces, which 
were marvels of strength and beauty for those times and cir- 
cumstances. Here David took up his first residence; here 
stood the noble palace in which Solomon displayed his gran- 
deur; here towered aloft the royal castle of Herod, surrounded 
with its elegant gardens, fountains, and lakes; here stood the 



AT THE TIME OP CHRIST'S COMING 13 

house of the high-priest Caiphas ; and here, too, was that 
privileged and ever memorable hall in which Jesus celebrated 
His last supper with His apostles, and instituted the ever 
blessed sacrament of the Eucharist. This quarter was the 
residence of the kings, high-priests, and principal citizens. 

The sides of all the various hills were dotted with numerous 
habitations, mantled with charming gardens, and studded 
with lovely groves of the olive and fig tree. All about the 
city ran a moat 250 feet in width, and a wall of Avhite marble 
30 feet in height. Indeed, Jerusalem was the queen city of 
Israel, and not Avithout cause did Jesus shed bitter tears as, 
standing upon Mount Olivet, He gazed in sadness on this 
large and splendid metropolis, with its glorious temples, its 
towers, spires, and palaces, and saw them with prophetic eye 
tottering to their very foundations. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 
"if thou also had known, and that in this thy day, the things 
that are for thy peace" (Luke xix). 

4. The Chief-Prjests, the Scribes, the Elders, the Phari- 
sees, THE SadDUCEES, THE HeRODIANS, AND THE PUBLICANS 

Let us now turn from the contemplation of the material city 
of Jerusalem, and take a view of its inhabitants. We find 
that during the lifetime of Christ, the most important class 
of persons, after the king and Roman governor,^ were the 
Jiigh-priests. These had come down from the time of Moses 
in an unbroken line during 1,450 years, through the family 
of Levi, and had reached the fifty-second generation when 
Herod came to the throne. This prince assumed the undue 
prerogative of appointing to this office whomsoever he would, 
and of removing them according to his humor. The high- 
priests discharged the same duties in the temple, as in the 
days of Moses. They also presided over the chief council or 
Sanhedrim, the highest judicial court among the Jews, and 
in which sat, at the time of Christ, priests, Levites, scribes 
and Pharisees, with Annas at their head. Besides the one 
high-priest, there were twenty-four chief-priests. These did 
not all dwell in Jerusalem, except during the specified week 
of service which, from time to time, they had to spend in the 
temple. The other priests, too, had the same duties to dis- 

^Six years after the birth of Christ, Archelaus, the son of Herod, was 
dethroned, and from that time the Romans appointed the rulers of Judea. 
Pontius Pilate was the sixth of these governors, A. D. 27 to 36. Herod 
Antipas, a son of Herod the Cruel, was prince of Galilee. 



14 JERUSALEM AND THE JEWISH NATION 

charge which had been promulgated on Mount Sinai, namely, 
to conduct, with the assistance of the Levites, divine service 
on the Sabbath-day in the various synagogues throughout the 
land ; and to read and explain the holy scriptures to the peo- 
ple. In the history of our divine Saviour, not only the high- 
priests and Levites appear and act, but also the scribes, elders, 
Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians. Let us take a glance at 
each of these classes of persons. The scribes were the teachers 
of law and religion, and explained the scriptures, which Esdras, 
after the Babylonian captivity, had gathered together in one 
collection. These scribes were held in high esteem among the 
people, who believed that they derived their learning in a con- 
tinued stream from IMoses himself, through Josue, Phineas, 
Heli, Samuel, David, the prophets, and Esdras. In former 
generations, there had indeed been many good, holy, and in- 
spired men among the scribes, but at the time of Christ they 
had been corrupted by the Pharisees, were divided among 
themselves, and instead of searching and seeking for the truth 
of God's law, they busied themselves with useless and trifling 
technicalities, advanced frivolous fictions and worldly prin- 
ciples in place of the divine precepts; and thus merited the 
rebuke of our divine teacher and master. 

By the elders, the holy scripture means the judges and other 
civil functionaries, selected from among the oldest and most 
experienced inhabitants of each section of the country. In 
every city there was established a court of these elders, with 
twenty-three officials in each court. It was to this "council" 
that our Saviour alluded when He said : "Whosoever shall say 
to his brother, Raca," that is, should curse his fellow-man, 
"shall be in danger of the council" {Matt. v. 22) : meaning 
that the offender shall be brought before the council of the 
elders, and receive the penalty of his misdemeanor. These 
elders were first established by Josaphat, the fourth king of 
Juda, who warned them to act cautiously and justly, for they 
were to administer a law which came from God and not from 
men. Unhappily, most of the elders of Christ's time had for- 
gotten this excellent advice of a pious king. 

The class most injurious to the ordinary people were the 
Pharisees, who formed among themselves a sort of brother- 
hood composed of priests and laymen, and numbering at the 
time of Christ about 6,000 members. They fasted a good deal, 
prayed long prayers without moving eyes, arms, or hands, 
and gave tithes and alms, not as prescribed by the law, but 



AT THE TIME OF CHRIST'S COMING 15 

of the poorest quality of produce. Most of them practised 
these observances through hypocrisy, and to be seen by the 
people ; for they proved by their pride and hard-heartedness 
that the sacred love of God and their neighbor had no place 
in their breasts. The simple and unsuspecting people re- 
spected them as holy men, and their word was often of more 
account than that of the high-priest. They knew how to take 
advantage of this respect on the part of the people, and lost 
no opportunity to mingle in the councils of the scribes and 
elders, to rule wherever they could, and to oppose violently all 
whose opinions did not agree with their own. Even the kings 
were sometimes made to fear their ill-will. Their pretended 
holiness was the deadly poison which infected the whole lower 
orders at the time of Christ. Now, as there are few more 
heinous crimes than that of abusing God's holy law, and per- 
verting it to our personal advancement before the world, Jesus 
often rebuked the Pharisees in the severest terms ; and for this 
they bitterly detested Him and became His most persistent 
enemies. 

Another sect living among the Jews were the Sadducees. 
These were mostly wealthy, prominent, and liberal free-think- 
ers, who denied the resurrection, the immortality of the soul, 
and the ministration of angels. Rejecting all oral tradition, 
they maintained, according to their own whimsical notions, 
that the only law binding them was the written law of Moses. 
Although they entertained bitter hostility of feeling toward 
the Pharisees, they made common cause with them against 
Jesus; for they, in their sensuality, expected a Messias who 
would free them from the Roman yoke and bring them wealth 
and worldly success. They, in some respects, resembled the 
Herodians, a sect who pretended to believe that Herod was 
the Messias, hung around the royal palace of this monarch, 
led a loose and abandoned life, and in speech and action 
differed but little from the heathens. 

In the last place, let us cast a glance at the peculiar sect 
called Publicans, or tax-gatherers. These M^ere Jews who had 
made a bargain with the Roman Government, and for a price 
had agreed to collect the taxes so offensive and so oppressive 
to their conquered fellow-countrymen. As it was their interest 
to collect as much as possible, they were looked upon as 
avaricious, called public sinners, or publicans, and were uni- 
versally despised and hated ; the more so, as the Jews bore the 
yoke of Roman authority with much ill-will. 



16 THE ROMAN EMPIRE 

Thus we see that at the time of the birth of Christ cormp- 
tion had pervaded and demoralized all classes and conditions 
among the Jews, so that the few honest and well-intentioned 
people might well sigh heavily and groan impatiently for the 
coming of Him who had been foretold by the prophets. 



CHAPTER II 

THE ROMAN EMPIRE AT THE BIRTH OF CHRIST 

1. The Roman Empire. C^sar Augustus 

After this imperfect glance at the degradation of God's 
chosen people, the Jews, let us consider the still more dreadful 
degradation into which all the other nations of the earth had 
fallen, and especially the Roman people, who were the most 
powerful, most civilized, and most enlightened of them all. 
Countless nations had been reduced to subjection by their 
armies. All Italy, Switzerland, Gei-many as far as the 
Danube, Hungary, France, Spain, Northern Africa, Egypt, 
Greece, Turkey, Asia I\Iinor, and all the countries as far as 
the river Euphrates, bowed befoi'e the scepter of imperial 
Rome. In the midst of this immense empire rose the proud 
and haughty metropolis, Rome, the mistress of the universe. 
Founded about 753 years before Christ, this city was governed 
for some centuries by kings, who, in course of time, were ex- 
pelled by the people, and their places supplied by a consul 
chosen every year. These consuls continued to govern the 
Romans till near the time of Christ, when Rome rose from a 
republic into an empire, and Julius Caesar, who had been 
consul sixty years before Christ, and who afterward became 
a distinguished and successful general, was, on account of 
brilliant achievements in war, declared emperor for life, about 
forty-five years before the birth of the Saviour. In the fol- 
lowing year, however, he was slain by Brutus, the Roman 
tribune, and succeeded by Octavianus. This last Avas so suc- 
cessful in all his undertakings, and raised the city of Rome 
to such a pinnacle of prosperity and splendor, that he was 
solemnly crowned by the senate with imperial honors, and pro- 
claimed emperor under the name of Caesar Augustus. Like 
Caesar, Octavianus enjoyed absolute sway and unlimited 
power. He proclaimed a universal peace, ordered a general 
census of all his subjects, and under his reign Jesus Christ, 
our blessed Lord and Saviour, was born at Bethlehem. 



AT THE BIRTH OF CHRIST 17 

2. Religious Degradation. Superstition ; 

At the time of his accession to power, the people of pagan 
Rome had sunk to the lowest depths of spiritual ignorance 
and superstition. With the exception of the Jewish people, 
not one of his subjects recognized the one true God who had 
made heaven and earth. On the contrary, even the Romans 
themselves, who had made such advances in power, luxury, 
and refinement, rendered divine honor to senseless creatures, 
to the stars in the firmament, to mortal men, to the irrational 
animals, and even to idols of lifeless wood and stone. Their 
public worship consisted in silly or lascivious songs, in wanton 
dances, in gluttony, drunkenness, and lust. The city of Rome 
was the center and stronghold of this many-headed demon of 
idolatrous wickedness. There stood the Pantheon, a temple 
sacred to "all the gods," containing 300 idols, of as many 
different nations, and each worshiped according to the rites 
of the people to whom it belonged. In fact, the system had 
become so extremely absurd, that the educated classes aban- 
doned it and sank down into total unbelief in any deity 
whatever. 

A people who had lost all confidence in their gods were soon 
oppressed with an indescribable and dismal feeling of terror, 
bordering on despair. They dreaded the unknown terrors and 
penalties of the life beyond the grave, and in their over- 
anxious efforts to penetrate the future, fell into the most 
gloomy superstition ; for ' ' where the gods do not rule, the 
evil spirits prevail," remarks a renowned writer. To stifle 
conscience and discover the hidden things of the future, men 
had recourse to the most absurd means, such as charms, spells, 
amulets, talismans, oracles, observations, the entrails of dis- 
interred bodies of children which had been killed by starva- 
tion or strangulation, the flight of birds, and a thousand other 
senseless practices. Satan, of course, encouraged these villain- 
ous doings, until at last religious perversity, superstition, and 
unbelief culminated in devil-worship. 

3. Moral Depravity. Lust and Cruelty 

As a necessary consequence of this absurd system of re- 
ligion, the most shocking immorality followed. Deceit, false- 
hood, dishonesty, inhumanity, bribery, pride, debauchery, and 
every other vice reached its highest point, and more especially 
cruelty and lust. Fidelity in marriage was ridiculed in the 



18 THE ROMAN EMPIRE 

writings of the poets, hissed in the galleries of the theaters, 
and sneered at in the conversation of the people, while the 
opposing vice was commended and even consecrated by re- 
ligion. The wife was a mere slave, and could for the most 
frivolous pretext be pnt away in disgrace by the brutal hus- 
band who desired to choose another woman for the gratitica- 
tion of his basest passions. Those unnatural vices, for the 
practice of which Sodom and Gomorrha were destroyed by 
fire from heaven, passed as matters of course and were per- 
petrated without a blush by philosophers and statesmen. 
Thousands of unfortunate young girls were trained up in 
public institutions for the vilest of lives, and there was even 
a temple where the young women of Rome oflt'ered themselves 
to the service of lust, and in which the most hideous and dis- 
gusting scenes were enacted under the name of religion. 

Man, brought down to the level of the brute by such debas- 
ing practices, soon came to resemble the wild animals in his 
ferocious cruelty. This became apparent in the combats of 
the gladiators. These actors, who were either slaves, convicts, 
or professionals under pay, fought either with infuriated 
animals or with their fellow-men, till blood flowed in rivers 
over the sands of the arena. For days and nights in succes- 
sion, large audiences of the degenerate Romans sat in the 
amphitheater and gazed with demoniacal rapture upon the 
horrible conflicts during which the victorious gladiators often 
waded knee-deep in the warm and reeking blood of their 
slaughtered opponents. Before entering upon these shocking 
combats, the gladiators presented themselves at the foot of the 
grand throne on which the emperor sat, and saluted him with 
the words: "Te morituri salutamiis"^ "On our way to death, 

'In what strong contrast to these heathen warriors did the soldiers of 
Christ stand forth in the same arena, when, just before dying for their 
faith, they raised their eyes to heaven and repeated the same salutation, 
not to an earthly king, but to the Lord of heaven and earth: "Te 
itiorituri salutamus." 

"0 Thou, the Martyrs' glorious King! 
Of Confessors the crown and prize. 
Who dost to joys celestial bring 

Those who the joys of earth despise: 
Te morituri salutamus. 

"To God the Father glory be, 
And to his sole-begotten Son, 
The same, O Holy Ghost, to thee. 
While everlasting ages run. 
Te m,orituri salutamus." 



AT THE BIRTH OF CHRIST 19 

we stop to greet thee." When one or more of these men were 
mortally wounded, and their blood ran in rivulets over the 
arena, the Roman ladies rose from their seats, clapped their 
hands, stamped their feet, and cried: "More blood! More 
blood ! ' ' and the combat had to be begun again. 

4. The Emperors 

The chief leaders and most influential promoters of all these 
diabolical practices were the emperors themselves; the suc- 
cessors of the great Caesar Augustus. Tiberius, Caligula, and 
Nero seemed to be actuated by the very demons of hell. They 
had no regard for the lives or property of their subjects, and 
when punishing with death those who opposed them, they 
seemed to find a hellish satisfaction in prolonging their death- 
agony as long as possible. Their greatest pleasure was to 
shed human blood, and one of them once exclaimed: "Would 
that the Roman people had but one head that I might strike 
it off at a single blow!" Trampling all morality and law 
under foot, they lived in the most horrible relations with their 
own sisters and dwelt in open adultery with some of the prin- 
cipal women in Rome. The nations whom they had subjugated 
were oppressed almost to starvation in order to supply the 
means of paying for the lavish prodigality of the court. 
Tiberius alone squandered more than one hundred millions 
of dollars on his table. We may gather some idea of 
the extravagance of these rulers, when we read that at 
one banquet 2,000 dishes of various kinds of fish and 7,000 
dishes of the rarest birds were served, and on the table stood 
a vessel containing a preparation of the brains of pea- 
cocks and pheasants, mixed with the tongues of a thousand 
singing-birds. The choicest wines were quaffed from golden 
goblets, and the hall was strewn so profusely with rose-leaves 
that the drunken guest might drop from his couch of velvet to 
a bed of roses on the floor. 

5. The Slaves 

Side by side with this sinful and luxurious extravagance, 
behold a harrowing scene of abject poverty and degradation. 
Among the Romans, as among other pagan nations, it was held 
as a principle that of the two classes of men, one was born 
to freedom, the other to slavery and without rights of any 
kind. These unhappy creatures, some of whom were born in 



20 THE ROMAN EMPIRE 

slavery, others reduced to it by the chances of war, abounded 
in all the cities of the Roman P^nipire. The city of Athens 
in Greece contained 20.000 free citizens and '200,000 shives. 
Rome, at the time of Ca?sar Augustus, counted a population 
of a million and a half of inhabitants, one-half of whom 
were slaves, mostly in a very degraded and abject condition 
of life. We have to blush for our fellow-men, as we read of 
the treatment given to these unhappy creatures. For the most 
trifling offence, they were liable to be scourged, or even to be 
put to death. The first ladies of Rome used to stick sharp 
needles into the bodies of those unhappy creatures whose fate 
it was to serve them at their toilets, and who durst not relieve 
this torture even by a sigh. If, driven to wild desperation at 
his hopeless misery, an unhappy slave should slay his master, 
every slave in the household, however innocent, might be tor- 
tured to death; for slaves had no rights according to pagan 
law. 

It is true that, amid this degradation, there existed at Rome 
a school of philosophers called Stoics, who prated much about 
virtue, morality, and the dignity of human nature; but what 
did their virtue amount to? To nothing more than a false, 
hypocritical, and much-affected superiority to pain or joy, 
fear or hope, hatred or love, and a proud and pretended in- 
difference to adversity or prosperity, joined with the practice 
of several of the most repulsive and unnatural vices. Seneca 
supplies us with evidence at once true and shocking of the 
internal insufficiency of the Stoical virtue so called. He cer- 
tainly preached very good and well-sounding theories, and in 
the manner of his death, which was by suicide, many affect 
to discover a proof of his indomitable courage and admirable 
force of character. But these admirers of the Stoics forget 
that this wise philosopher allowed to his disciple Nero every 
kind of extravagance and lust ; that, in a letter written to the 
Roman Senate, he excused matricide ; and that, finally, he 
offered to Nero the great amount of wealth which he had col- 
lected by extortions, if that emperor would pardon him and 
rescind the sentence of death hanging over him. This is a 
specimen of heathen magnanimity and virtue. The pagan 
historian Plutarch assures us that ' ' in every family there were 
several instances of murdered children, mothers, and wives ; 
fratricide was common, while it is a well-known truth that a 
king was believed to have the right to slay his own brothers 
in order to make his possession of the throne the more secure. " 



THE FULLNESS OF TIME 21 

St. Jerome gives us an idea of the disregard prevalent among 
the pagan Romans for that corner-stone of the family, matri- 
monial fidelity, and of the ease with which husbands and 
wives separated, when he tells us of a Roman having buried 
his twenty-first wife, who herself had been the wife of twenty- 
one husbands. 

Such was the state of society in the Roman Empire and 
among pagan nations generally. The night of crime and 
ignorance had settled in impenetrable gloom upon mankind. 
But glory, honor, and praise be to Our Saviour Jesus Christ, 
the first dawn of a new day, of a day of grace and mercy, is 
about to steal upon the benighted world ; for ' ' The fullness 
of time has come." "AVhen the fullness of time was come, 
God sent His Son to re-establish all things in Christ ' ' ( Gal. iv. 
4 and Eph. i. 1). 



CHAPTER III 
THE FULLNESS OF TIME 

Decisive and ever memorable hour in the history of manP^ 
The human race having now descended to the lowest depths 
of vice ; evil having developed itself to the highest point, and 
the designs of heaven having been fully accomplished in re- 
gard to the Jews; mankind being in one case on the verge of 
destruction, and on the other, well prepared to receive a 
manifestation of the greatest of mysteries, relief could now 
be offered from heaven and be fully appreciated by man. 
Yes, human malice had come to a focus, and pagan man could 
not be worse. All the sacred bonds that tied him to his fellow- 
creature had been disregarded or torn asunder; every noble 
quality of the human heart, chaste love, compassion, respect 
for human nature, regard for right, for honesty, and justice, 
love of truth, detestation of vice, had been stifled in the breasts 
of the wicked. The fullness of time had come, relief must 
now be given, or else the human family will find a second 
deluge of its own making to engulf them. Every effort that 
could be made by man, when guided solely by a natural sense 
of right and wrong, had been tried to save society, and without 
success. The sword of the greatest conquerors, the debauched 
luxury of eastern lands, the learning of the Egyptians, the 
arts, sciences, and polite learning of the Greeks, the wisdom 
of Roman legislation ; all had been tried, yet man grew more 



22 THE FULLNESS OF TIME 

and more debased. Now is the fullness of time; salvation 
must come, and nmst come from heaven alone. 

The chosen people, the Jews, had finished their historical 
career. Clearer and more striking; became the prophecies con- 
cerning the ]\Iessias and His kingdom ; His prototypes or figures 
hatl appeared and disappeared; the scepter had fallen from 
thi' hands of Juda ; and those few persons among tiie Jews 
wlio were well disposeil and knew enough to seek relief raised 
their longing eyes in tears to heaven, and cried out: "Drop 
down dew ; ye heavens, let the clouds rain the Just One ; let the 
earth be opened, and bud forth a Saviour." Now were the 
days accomj)lished ; now must come the "Desired of Na- 
tions," the prophesied and prefigured IMessias, the true king 
from David's seed, Jesus Christ the Saviour, whose power and 
glory endure foivver ! 

Even heathen nations were looking for a Saviour; for there 
had been preserved a tradition among Ihem from the time 
of their progenitor Noe, regarding an early-promised and 
long-looked-for IMessias. The Jews who had come in contact 
with the (ientiles in Babylon, Assyria, Persia, and Egyi)t, had 
revived this tradition in the memories of these j)eople, and 
by their ludy seriptures had everywhere prepared them for 
the advent of the Pi-ince of Peace. Even among the Komans 
a few sincere souls were founil who fondly hoped for and 
ardently desired the arrival of Him who was to come from the 
East and bring to them new salvation and life in their de- 
moralized condition. The days are now accomplished, the 
fullness of time has arrived; now at last must the true Son 
of God come tlown fi-om heaven, and. as i-uler of the elements, 
as Lord over life and death, as fJod of heaven, eai'th and hell, 
as Ood of charity and love for men, overturn the idols of 
paganism and destroy their temples. 

And thou didst come, O adorable Cod of love, only-begotten 
Son of the eternal Father ! Thou didst come down from Thy 
throne in heaven to dwell among us; to enlighten all, to heal 
all, to comfort all, to save all, who, in humility and confidence, 
hearken to Thy divine teachings. Already do we hear with 
joy and gladness the first notes of the angel-chorus floating 
through the midnight air of Christmas, 

Gloria in excelsis Deo ! 

glory be to god on high, and on earth peace to men op 

good will 




Martin Feuei>teiii 



Copyright Ijy Beiiziger Brothers 



The Annunciation 



PART II 

Immediate or Proximate Preparation for the 
Coming of the Redeemer. 

CHAPTER I 
THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION 

1. The Meaning op the Expression, The Son of God 
BECAME Man 

Beyond and above all the names of God's elect stand the 
honored names of Mary and Joseph. We are about to enter 
upon the contemplation of the most wonderful and most 
glorious of mysteries, the mystery of the incarnation of the 
Son of God. It is from the celestial glory of this mystery that 
the names Mary and Joseph derive exclusively their splendor. 
The honor and respect due them is founded on the truth of 
their having been the highly privileged instruments selected 
by God to have a share in the human part of this mystery: 
Mary as the true and real mother of the Man-God ; Joseph as 
the chaste spouse of this highly favored mother and as foster- 
father of the divine Infant. 

Our holy mother, the Church, does right and well when she 
bids us bend the knee in reverence each time that in the 
Holy Mass we hear pronounced in accents of faith, "Et homo 
factus esi;''— "He was made man." Yes, "The ivord was 
made flesh" — "Yerhum. care factum est" — we hear, we re- 
peat the words of St. John in his gospel : and priest and 
people together, with believing minds and grateful hearts, bow 
prostrate to the earth. We are eager to proclaim how utterly 
unfit we are to meditate worthily upon this awful mystery, 
how utterly unable to fathom its depth. If asked in what 
does this august incarnation of the Son of God consist, we 
must confess and hold firmly that it is a solemn mystery of 
our faith. The groping intellect of the impious man pretends 

23 



24 THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION 

to find nothing; in it but distractinp; riddles and absurd con- 
tradictions. Only the confidinij- ;ind believing mind of him 
^vho, with childlike and prayerful sentimenis, asks the ques- 
tion, can comprehend the answer. How can the incredulous 
man who is prone to calculate every tiling by petty weij^dit and 
measure, or by line and angle, who will admit no truth whose 
reasons do not appear plain and conclusive to his shallow 
brain, and who thinks that in the deceptive lines of geology 
or in the unsettled axioms of physics, he has all the law and 
power of God confined — how will such a man comprehend, 
when he is told that llie infinite, uncreated, eternal Son of 
the heavenly Fatlier assumed the finite, time-created human 
nature, and a.ssumed it from the pure womb of the Virgin 
Mary, through the operation of the Holy Ohost; that both 
natures, the divine and the human, are inseparably united in 
the one person of this Ood-Man. Christ, by what is called 
the hypostatic union ; and that this union involves no ming- 
ling of the natures, or no loss to either nature, but that in 
their union they constitute one person; and that all this was 
done that all men may. by their co-operation with Christ, be 
made children of (!od and heirs to heaven? How can a con- 
tracted and clouded human intellect understand this profound 
mystery? And yet this is the foundation of Christianity. 
But faith is especially a divine grace, the free gift of heaven 
to man. Let us therefore. Christian reader, with the assist- 
ance of this grace, with loving hearts and humble intellects, 
go forward with reverent steps to the study and contempla- 
tion of the incarnation. 

2. The True and Real Divinity of the Redeemer 

The first question, and a most important one, is : Who is 
this Jesus Christ who became man for the salvation of the 
world ? 

Listen to the answer given by the holy evangelist John : 
"In the beginning was the AVord, and the Word was with 
God, and the Word was God. The same was in the begin- 
ing with God. All things were made by Him: and without 
Him was made nothing that was made. In Him was life, 
and the life was the light of men : And the light shineth in 
darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. That was 
the true light which enlighteneth every man that eometh into 
this world. He was in the world and the world was made 



THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION 25 

by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His 
own and His own received Him not. But as many as received 
Him, He gave them the power to be made the sons of God, 
to them that believe in His name. And the Word was made 
flesh and dwelt among us." In these sublime words, the 
evangelist describes Him who was to take His human nature 
from the Blessed Virgin : the eternal Word, that is, the knowl- 
edge, or wisdom of the heavenly Father : that cognition which 
is from all eternity, and which is not the Father, but which 
is in Him, and with Him, and of Him from all eternity, 
which subsists in the most perfect communion of being with 
Him, and through whom the eternal Father Himself has 
created all existing things. "Who else could this be but the 
only begotten, consubstantial Son of God ? This Son of God 
is not merely a personal living being, but He has life and the 
source of being in Himself. He is life and Mdsdom itself, and 
therefore from Him flow all the high spiritual life, and all 
the light of true and sacred knowledge among Jews and 
Gentiles. 

For, although man had separated himself from God by 
sin, a Redeemer was promised from the beginning, and man 
was prepared for this redemption through the revelation of 
divine knowledge and holiness by the instrumentality of the 
patriarchs, prophets, and other God-illumined men. Yet this 
dwelling and acting of divine knowledge among men during 
the years of preparation was not personal or visible. But 
now, at last, in the fullness of time, a visible and bodily 
dwelling was to take place, and to this extent, namely, that 
just this divine cognition, this eternal Word, this Son of God 
assumed human nature, and, as the holy evangelist tells us in 
the important proposition : ' ' The Word was made flesh, and 
dwelt among us." 

St. John could not more clearly and more emphatically 
affirm and express that he who in the fullness of time assumed 
human nature for our salvation is truly the Son of the living 
God. 

And did not Jesus in the most indubitable manner, declare 
Himself to be the Son of God ? To Nicodemus He said : ' ' God 
so loved the world, as to give His only begotten Son, that 
whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have life 
everlasting" {John iii.). He asserts the same before all the 
people, when He says: "I and the Father are one" (John x. 
30). Christ expressed His divinity so clearly in these words, 



26 THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION 

that the Jews sought to stone Him, because He made Himself 
God. This oft-repeated assertion of His divine nature He 
confirmed solemnly and j>ubliely in presence of the high- 
priest. When Caiphas imjuired : "Art thou Christ, the Son 
of the living God?" Jesus replied: "I am." 

Moreover, undeniable history assures us that this Christ 
confirmed this testimony by the most incontestable proofs, 
namely, by the most stupendous miracles wrought in presence 
of multitudes of people. Who stilled the storm at sea? Who 
healed the lame and sick, gave sight to the blind, speech to 
the dumb. and. by a word, raised the dead to life? How could 
the testimony of such a miracle-worker be doubted ? 

Hence, the apostles, who were witnesses as well of the 
testimony as of the miracles of Jesus Christ, believed firmly 
in the divinity of their Master, and even sealed their faith 
with their blood. The words pronounced befoiv our Lord by 
Peter: "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God," he 
afterward preached in public before the multitude, accusing 
them of having crucifii'tl and slain the author of life. In the 
beginning of his second epistle, he calls Him, "Our God and 
Saviour, Jesus Christ." St. Paul calls Jesus Christ, "The 
only Son of God. in whom and by whom all things have been 
created, and in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead 
corporeally." 

This faith of the two chief apostles became, and remained 
ever afterward the faith of the whole Christian church. And 
if, now and again, in the course of centuries, unhappy men 
arose and in their pride of intellect, denied the august divinity 
of our blessed Redeemer, and gave great scandal thereby, let 
us remember the words of Christ: "It is impossible that 
scandals should not come, but woe to him through whom they 
come. ' ' 

3. The True and Real Humanity op the Redeemer 

Important as it certainly is, that we should have a firm 
faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ, who became man for us, 
it is equally important that we should believe firmly in His 
humanity. We should never forget that the Son of God as- 
sumed not a mere imaginary body, but a real and true human 
body and human soul (which dogma the Apollinarists de- 
nied), and united this body and soul inseparably to His divine 
nature. "It is erroneous," says St. Cyril of Jerusalem, "to 
acknowledge and adore Christ as mere man, as it is also to 



THE ANGEL'S GREETING TO MARY 27 

recognize Him as God alone, without humanity. If Christ is 
simply God without humanity, we have not been redeemed. 
Let man adore Him as God, believing Him to be also man. 
For it is useless and wrong to recognize Him as man to the 
exclusion of the Godhead."^ 

Thus we recognize in Christ both the Son of God and the 
Son of Man, believing that He assumed human nature and 
became like one of ourselves in all respects, sin alone ex- 
cepted. We hold that He assumed a real, earthly, human 
body, in which He experienced hunger, thirst, and necessity 
of sleep, just like other men. "We are members of His body, 
of His flesh, and of His bones" (Eph. v. 30), says St. Paul. 
We hold that He took to Himself a human soul, in which He 
felt the sentiments of joy and sadness, of longing desire, of 
just indignation, precisely as other mortals ; a soul which was 
grieved at the tomb of Lazarus, and sorrowful unto death in 
Gethsemane; a soul at once subject to surprise and wonder, 
and meek, humble, and obedient unto the death of the cross. 



CHAPTER II 
THE ANGEL'S GREETING TO MARY 

1, The Archangel Gabriel 

Heaven's preparation of Mary was now complete. She 
shone in transcendent beauty, like a very garden of paradise 
prepared by the Most High for the second Adam, Jesus 
Christ. She was laden with all the supernatural wealth be- 
fitting the throne on which the Son of God would sit en- 
throned during the very first months of His human existenct 
She was finished according to the will of God, as the ark into 
which the restorer of the human family, the second Noe, 
might enter with safety and security, from the sin which 
deluged the rest of the human race; she was built up in 
beauty and glory, as the temple in which the greatest of mys- 
teries should transpire, in which heaven and earth should kiss 

'For, if Christ were not true man, He would not be our brother by 
nature, and hence could not become our true representative or substitute 
in the atonement to God's justice. If he were not true man, He could 
not really suffer or die, and hence could not be our Redeemer. 



28 THE ANGEL'S GREETING TO MARY 

the kiss of peace, and the grand work of our redemption and 
reconciliation shonUi be perfected. 

At this time, the Blessed Virgin might be in her sixteenth 
year. One day she was kneeling at home in Nazareth, ab- 
sorbed in prayer and meditation, and glowing with the desire 
to witness the coming of the Redeemer of the world. Sud- 
denly her quiet room was flooded with a brilliancy of heavenly 
light. The moment marked from all eternity had now arrived, 
the heavens opened, and the wonder of wonders took place as 
described by St. Luke, the evangelist. "In the sixth month 
the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee 
called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name 
was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was 
Mary. And the angel being come in said unto her: Iloil, 
full of grace; the Lord is witli thee; blessed art thou amongst 
women! Who, having heard, was troubled at his saying, and 
thought with herself what manner of salutation this should 
be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou liast 
found grace with God: Behold thou sJialt conceive in thy 
womb, and sJialt bring forth a Son, and thou shall call His 
name Jesus. Fie siiall be great and shall be called, the Son 
of the Most HigJi, and the Lord shall give unto Him the 
throne of David, His father; and He shall reign in the house 
of Jacob forever. And of His kingdom there shall be no end. 
And Mary said to the angel : How shall this be done, because 
I know not man ? And the angel answering, said to her : 
The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the 
Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the 
Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of 
God. And behold ! thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath con- 
ceived a son in her old age ; and this is the sixth month with 
her that is called barren; because no word shall be impossible 
with God" (Luke i.). 

This extraordinary and majestic messenger is an angel. 
For, as a fallen angel seduced our first mother Eve to destruc- 
tion, so it is becoming that a faithful angel should introduce 
and prepare the way for our salvation with the second sinless 
Eve. Yes, it is an angel ; for, as it had pleased kind Provi- 
dence to announce the old promises of the Messias through 
eminent men, patriarchs and prophets, so was it proper that 
the last of these promises, and with it the winding up of the 
Old Testament, should be entrusted to an angel. It is an 
angel; for, as St. Paul teaches, angels are sent to those who 



THE ANGEL'S GREETING TO MARY 29 

are to be saved, who are to merit happiness. It is an angel ; 
for the angels from the beginning desired the coming of a 
Saviour, by whom the fall of their brethren would be com- 
pensated, and their places be filled with the redeemed souls of 
men. The archangel Gabriel, whose name implies "power of 
God," was the chosen ambassador, for it was eminently 
proper that the most distinguished member of the heavenly 
court should convey the all-important message to the first 
among the daughters of men. It was Gabriel; he who six 
months previous had proclaimed the birth of Christ's fore- 
runner, St. John, was now to announce the approach of 
Christ Himself. It was Gabriel ; for he had, five hundred 
years before, foretold to the prophet Daniel the future day of 
salvation, the great and glorious day; and now it was meet 
that the same Gabriel should declare the fulfillment of his 
promise and usher in the dawn of this momentous day. 

Observe here, that it is one of the foremost of heaven's 
princes who hastens with joy to Mary, and although she is 
but a simple maiden of earth, pays to her respectful homage 
and praise. How can it be reckoned a sin for us, then, as 
heretics would have it, if, casting ourselves in spirit before 
that exalted throne of glory on which she now sits in dignity 
and splendor, we bring to her the tribute of praise and vener- 
ation ? 

2. "Hail" 

^'Ave Maria!'' "Hail Mary!" Ancient writers inform us 
that the word Ave or Hail, was the morning salutation of the 
olden time, and signifies, "Rejoice, mayst thou be well and 
happy. ' ' Ave is the inversion of the name Eva, which means 
"mother of all persons." The first Eva proved undeserving 
of this title, inasmuch as by her disobedience she precipi- 
tated death upon her children. Our second mother, Mary, 
is the mother of true and genuine life, for she brought forth 
Him who says truly, "7 a-m the life." 

Hail ! How full of comfort is this ancient morning-greeting 
of the East, as it falls upon the startled ear of millions, 
after a long night of sin, and proclaims the dawn of the 
brightest day yet seen by mortal eyes. Ave issues from 
Gabriel's lips, and immediately all the angels of heaven take 
up the greeting, and the celestial vaults resound with the 
angelic voices, joyfully singing : Ave, ave, Maria! Hail, Mary, 
hail ! 



30 THE ANGEL'S GREETING TO MARY 

3. "Full op Grace" 

Gratia plena — inW of grace. AVe read in sacred history 
that many servants of God were full of grace. But how 
much more abundant was Mary's fullness of grace than that 
of all the saints of God united ! The stars in the tirniament 
are full of light, and vet what is all their light combined, in 
comparison with the light of the full moon when she sails 
majestically in all her fullness through the solenni hours of 
night? Mary, like this bright orb of night, surpasses all 
grace-favored souls in the fullness of grace from heaven. The 
plenitude of heaven's pleasure, gladness, and blessings dwells 
within her stainless soul. 

4. "The Lord is with Thee, Blessed Art Thou" 

Domiuus tecum — the Lord is with thee — benedicta tu in 
7nuli€)'ibus — h\esso(] art thou among women. Here the Chris- 
tian reader may ask : Did not the Loi'd say to Josue, "Behold, 
as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee;" and to Gideon, 
"The Lord is with thee, thou bravest among men;" and to 
Jeremias, "I am with thee;" and to Paul, "Fear not, for 
I am with thee." How and in what special manner is the 
Lord with Mary? 

We answer, He is with Mary in the fullest, truest, and 
most intimate relationship that we can conceive. Not simply 
as with other creatures, by virtue of His omnipresence and 
omnipotence, not merely by virtue of His actual grace as with 
all men and even sinners, not merely by virtue of His sancti- 
fying grace as He is with all the pious and just, not merely 
by His special assistance as He is with His chosen, heroic 
confessors and martyrs, male and female. Not simply to this 
extent only is the Lord with Mary, but by virtue of the 
eternally decreed embodiment of His divine Son in her vir- 
ginal womb, in which embodiment this same Son of God was 
pleased to take from the substance of Mary, the flesh which 
was crucitied for us on the cross and the blood which He shed 
for us, and which has been adored by Christians in all ages 
as the ransom price for the sins of the world. 

Benedicta tu in mulierihus— blessed art thou among 
women. Yes, bring forth from antiquity all the noblest 
matrons and maidens, from Eve to Mary: the illustrious 
Sara, the careful and prudent Rebecca, the beautiful Rachel, 
the obedient daughter of Jephtha, Anna, the holy mother of 



THE ANGEL'S GREETING TO MARY 31 

prophets, the wise Abigail, the gentle Noemi, the faithful 
Ruth, the heroic Deborah, the brave Judith, the imploring 
Esther, the chaste Susannah; bring forth in beauteous array 
the renowned heroines of Christianity down to the present 
day — and imagine the long line of pure and saintly women 
who live in the Church till the end of time — what a magnifi- 
cent galaxy! But among them one exceeds in all things, 
Mary, the majestic queen of her race. 

And why is Mary the most blessed among women? Be- 
cause it was her peculiar privilege to unite within herself all 
the circumstances of life peculiar to her sex : the immaculate 
purity and innocence of a virgin, the fidelity of a wife, the 
dignity of a mother, and the freedom of soul of a widow. 
Because she alone of all creatures was spared and preserved 
from the curse uttered by God upon our disobedient mother 
Eve, and all her descendants. Mary was never subjected to 
the dominion of the flesh, never subjected to the desire of 
man; she did not sacrifice her virginity, and yet attained to 
the dignity of mother ; without a blemish of sin she conceived 
her divine Child, and without pain gave Him birth. During 
her whole life we fiaid no trace of weakness, no neglect of 
duty, no indifference. She alone stood exempt from the uni- 
versal blight. 

5. The Angel's Promise 

Let us now examine, with pious attention, the burden of 
his message. What did the angel declare 1 Nothing less than 
the re-establishment of peace between God and man, the over- 
throw of death, and the restoration of life. He who, with 
power and glory, was to effect all this, was Mary's Son — 
God's Son, too, for "He shall be called the Son of the Most 
High," and yet be the Son of man at the same time, for 
' ' God will give unto Him the throne of David His father ; ' ' 
thus He was God and man. He will come first of all to the 
lost sheep of Israel, but His dominion will extend over the 
whole earth. Now shall be fulfilled the words of promise 
spoken by the Son of God through the mouth of the prophet 
a thousand years before. "As king I have been placed over 
Sion. The Lord hath said to me : Thou art my Son, this day," 
that is, from all eternity, "have I begotten Thee. Ask of 
Me," in thy holy humanity, "and I will give to Thee the 
nations for Thy inheritance, and for Thy possession the 
bounds of the earth." 



32 THE ANGEL'S GREETING TO MARY 

Now our Lord brings about all that He had promised to 
King David, and spoken by the tongues of the prophets. The 
throne of David rises from its ruins, but not as a throne of 
earthly glory and majesty, not as a throne around which only 
one nation, one mighty Jewish kingdom is to be established, 
but as a much higher throne whose grandeur is to be spiritual 
and supernatural, a throne around which all peoples and 
nations shall be gathered together. A descendant of the 
family of David shall sit upon this throne and be a king, 
but not a king whose power shall depend on human sagacity, 
wealth, or the sword ; but a king whose might shall be built 
upon truth, love, and sacrifice. And this king, sprung from 
the family of David, shall reign in the house of Jacob forever. 

Most of the Jews expected an earthly king who would 
liberate them from the hated yoke of Roman oppression, and 
establish a powerful Hebrew kingdom, as in the time of 
David. But God's government proceeds by a gradual develop- 
ment. He has appointed a certain fixed and noble destiny 
for all men, and to this goal shall they come, slowly but 
surely, during the lapse of many centuries, and often over 
roads and by means which, to our limited and cloudy vision, 
seem entirely too tedious and altogether inadequate. Better 
and more suitable things shall transpire. God is the creator 
and founder not of one nation only, but of all mankind. The 
boundaries of states must be wiped out, the exclusiveness of 
certain peoples must be broken through, and all nations must 
be gathered into one large family, in order to form the one 
kingdom of God: the king who shall sit enthroned and govern 
this kingdom is Christ Jesus, the Man-God. 

6. The Miraculous Fulfilment of the Promise 

Such was the economy of God at this juncture. Who would 
have believed that a poor maiden, and one who had made a 
vow of perpetual virginity, would be chosen as a suitable 
instrument in the Incarnation of the Son of God. And yet 
she was chosen by God for this grand purpose, in order that 
the old prophecies concerning a virgin-mother might be veri- 
fied, and the splendor of His almighty power be made mani- 
fest to men. 

"The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of 
the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also 
the Holy which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son 



MARY'S ANSWER 33 

of God" {Luke i. 3). Sublime mystery! in whose presence 
proud reason rebels and recoils, before which divine faith 
bows down in humble admiration. The virgin remains un- 
touched and unblemished; by the power of immediate inter- 
position of the all-high God, and without human interference, 
she is raised to the dignity of mother. From her chaste 
maternal womb, the Son of God takes His flesh and blood, 
though the mode in which this human body is formed from 
the person of the immaculate maiden by the operation of the 
Spirit- Creator, is a profound and solemn mystery. Hence 
St. Bernard aptly says : ' ' The archangel Gabriel uses the 
word overshadow very appropriately, to signify that the 
heavenly Father wished the process and manner of the Incar- 
nation of His only-begotten Son to remain a hidden and im- 
penetrable mystery." 



CHAPTER III 
MARY'S ANSWER 

1. Mary Alarmed at the Angel's Promise 

Mary "having heard, was troubled at his saying, and 
thought what manner of salutation this might be?" The 
evangelist says emphatically that it was the message which 
troubled her, and not the appearance of the angel under the 
form of a man. We know from scriptural and other sources 
that heavenly spirits often appeared to the saints, bringing 
them instruction and consolation from heaven. Hence we 
may well believe that the highly privileged queen of saints 
and angels must have been made familiar with visits from 
angels, from her very infancy. What aroused her fears were 
the words, and not the apparition of the angel, although they 
were words of respectful homage and praise. How could 
Mary, who, in her excessive humility, believed herself to be 
the lowest and most insignificant creature living, how could 
she deserve such lavish praise ? Was there no flattery lurking 
in the words of the angel? She knew flattery to be a most 
treacherous snare for virtue, and that even the spirit of hell 
sometimes disguises himself as an angel of light, in order to 



34 MARY'S ANSWER 

deceive and seduce us. Was not our mother Eve deceived by 
the flattery of this demon, when he whispered into her ear : 
"You shall become gods?" Hence the second Eve, our cautious 
and prudent second mother, Mary, was troubled; and only 
after a full assurance from the angel that it was not on 
account of her own merits, but by the favor and grace of 
God, that she had won this homage, did she become calm, and 
consent to listen to his message. 

2. "How Shall This Come to Pass" 

"How shall this be done, because I know not man?" in- 
quired Mary, after the angel had promised her motherhood, 
and finished his message. These are the first words of the 
Blessed Virgin that the evangelists have given us, and they 
are words worthy of Ood's mother. Delicate purity, lofty 
faith, heroic strength of character, stand out boldly in these 
words. 

3. "Behold the Handmaid of the Lord: Be it Done unto 
Me According to Thy Word" 

When Gabriel had given to Mary the solution of her diffi- 
culty, and had explained to her the process by which this 
sublime mystery was to be effected without a blemish upon 
her virginity, that ever memorable, thrice precious fiat fell 
from her lips, be it do)ic! "Behold the handmaid of the 
Lord, be it done to me according to thy word !" By an angel 
she is saluted as mother of the Most High, but, in profound 
conviction of her unworthiness, she styles herself the hand- 
maid of the Lord. 

Fiat: be it done to me according to thy word. Grand and 
momentous word, fiat! How similar in power and effective- 
ness to that almighty fiat uttered at the beginning of time 
when the Creator said: "Fiat lux!" — lei there be light! 
And as at that time the germs of creation, still buried in the 
darkness of chaos, longed for the almighty fiat which would set 
them free and bring them forth to a glorious existence in the 
light of heaven, so too did the fallen Adam, with his descend- 
ants in limbo, long for the fiat of Mary; so longed the patri- 
archs and prophets, Abraham, David, and all the just souls 
for the virgin 's fiat. At the very moment when Mary signified 
her assent by pronouncing the fiat, be it done, the Incarna- 
tion of the Son of God began. The Son of the eternal Father 



MARY'S VISIT TO ELIZABETH 35 

came down from His throne of glory^ and entered the womb 
of the ever blessed Virgin Mary; whilst at the same instant, 
from the heart of God, a torrent of dazzling glory enveloped 
the virgin, who was now becoming the mother of God, and 
the Holy Ghost effected the grand and sublime mystery of a 
God made man. At once throughout the vaults of heaven 
resounded the joyous voices of angels singing: "The Word 
was made flesh, and we saw His glory, the glory, as it were, 
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" 
{John i. 14). 



CHAPTER IV 

MARY'S VISIT TO ELIZABETH 

1, The Archangel Foretells the Birth of John the 

Baptist 

We have made brief allusion in a preceding chapter to a 
very important event which took place about six months previ- 
ous to the actual Incarnation of Jesus Christ: namely, the 
announcement by an angel of the birth of the forerunner of 
Christ, St. John the Baptist. The evangelist, St. Luke, thus 
relates this wonderful event : 

"There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a 
certain priest named Zachary of the course of Abia, and his 
wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Eliza- 
beth, And they were both just before God, walking in all the 
commandments and justifications of the Lord without blame. 
And they had no son, for that Elizabeth was barren, and they 
both were well advanced in years. And it came to pass when 
he executed the priestly function in the order of his course 
before God, according to the custom of his priestly office, it 
was his lot to offer incense, going into the temple of the 

^The coming down to earth of the Son of God must not be understood 
to mean that He left heaven and ceased to reign as God in the glory of 
His Father. As our thoughts, when expressed in words, find their way 
into the hearts of hearers and readers, do not therefore cease to remain 
in our, own mind, so the eternal Word, the Son of God, was not pre- 
vented by his Incarnation from filling heaven with His divine omni- 
presence. 



36 MAKY'S VISIT TO ELIZABETH 

Lord : and all the nniltitiide of the people was praying with- 
out at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an 
.^njzel of the Loi-d standing: on the riprht siile of the altar 
of incense. And Zachary seeing him was troubled, and fear 
fell upon him. But the anjrel said to him: Fear not. Zachary, 
for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear 
thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou 
shalt have joy and srladness, and many shall rejoice in his 
nativity. For he shall be ^rreat before the Lord : and shall 
drink no wine or strong drink, and he shall be filled with the 
Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb. And he shall 
convert many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 
And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias; 
that he may turn the hearts of the fathers unto the cliildren 
and the incredulous to the wisdom of the just, to prepare 
unto the Lord a perfect people. And Zachary said to the 
anurel : Wheri'by shall I know this? for I am an old man and 
my wife is advanced in years. And the angel, answering, said 
to him: I am (Jabriel who stand before God, and am sent 
to speak to thee and to bring thee these good tidings. And 
behold thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be able to speak 
until the day wherein these things shall come to pass, because 
thou hast not believed my words, which shall be fulfilled in 
their time. And the people was waiting for Zachary: and 
they wondered that he tarried so long in the temple. And 
when he came out. he could not speak to them, and they under- 
stood that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he made 
signs to them and remained dumb. And it came to pass, after 
the days of his office were accomplished, he departed to his 
own house. And after those days Elizabeth his wife con- 
ceived, and hid herself five months, saying: Thus hath the 
Lord dealt with me in the days wherein He hath had regard 
to take away my reproach among men" {Luke i.). 

Though of noble and distinguished extraction, this holy 
couple. Zachary and Elizabeth, led a very simple and retired, 
God-pleasing life in a mountain-town in the hilly part of 
Judea. Only seldom, and when the priestly office required, 
Zachary emerged from his retirement to go to Jerusalem for 
the performance of his sacerdotal duties. 

It was during one of these visits, whilst in the act of offer- 
ing incense on the golden steps near the altar of incense, that 
the unexpected and miraculous tidings w'ere brought to Zach- 
ary by the angel Gabriel. Observe here the marked difference 



MARY'S VISIT TO ELIZABETH 37 

between Zaehary and Mary. To both the angel makes won- 
derful and unintelligible declarations. Mary believes at once, 
and asks for the solution of only one difficulty, that is, how 
her vow of perpetual virginity is to be reconciled with the 
promised dignity of motherhood. Zaehary doubts, and asks 
for a sign in proof of the angel 's assertion. And, as a penalty 
for his hesitancy in believing and his unwillingness to turn 
his ear unconditionally to the divine promise, he is deprived 
of the faculty of hearing,^ and the tongue which gave expres- 
sion to the doubt is temporarily paralyzed. Moses once, in a 
similar manner, doubted the word of God, and, in punish- 
ment therefor, was excluded from the Promised Land. Thus 
does a loving, yet just God, resent the slightest want of faith 
in his chosen servants. 

Such chastisement does not, however, exclude the friend- 
ship and grace of God. At the very moment of his punish- 
ment, Zaehary receives the pleasant and unexpected promise 
that a son shall be born to him, and that this son shall be 
called John, that is, "the son of grace, or gift of mercy." 
This John will be great before the Lord, great by special 
sanctification in his mother's womb, great in his humility and 
penance, great in his virginal purity, great in his preaching 
as the forerunner of Christ, great in his prophecies, and 
great, finally, in his martyr-death. He will be like to the 
great prophet Elias; like to him in his austere life in 
the desert, in his poverty and contempt for the world, in his 
fortitude, in his indifference to death, and in his burning zeal ; 
so that Christ Himself called him a burning and a shining 
light, as Sirach says of Elias: "He stood up as a fire, and his 
word burnt like a torch" {Eccles. xlviii). 

What a welcome message for the devout Elizabeth ! Hardly 
had she heard the wonderful assurance of the final granting 
of her ardent prayers for years past, than she withdrew from 
her friends and neighbors, not indeed because ashamed of be- 
coming a mother in her old age, but rather to thank God in 
solitude for having been pleased to relieve her of what was 
considered a disgrace among the Jews, namely, her life-long 
barrenness; as well, also, to sanctify by prayer and medita- 
tion herself and her child. 

^From the fact stated in the Bible, that the neighbors and kinsfolk 
held intercourse with Zaehary by signs, it is inferred that besides losing 
his power of speech, he was also temporarily deaf. 



38 MARY'S VISIT TO ELIZABETH 

2. Mary's Visit to Elizabeth. The Magnificat 

But the Spirit of God, while thus leading the pious mother 
Elizabeth up the heights of piety and perfection, had an- 
other mysterious object in view. After Mary, she was to be 
the very first among all the children of men upon earth, to 
know of the Incarnation of the Son of Cod, and to salute 
the Redeemer of the world even before His birth. In prepara- 
tion for this high and holy privilege, p]lizabeth was required 
by God to spend five months in holy retreat. 

At last, in the sixth month, the inettable favor was to be 
granted to her. "And ]\Iary rising up in those days,^ went 
into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judea. And 
she entered into the house of Zachary and saluted Elizabeth" 
{Luke i. 39). 

Unable to speak from excessive joy, they embraced each 
other in silence. But when I\Iary opened her lips to pro- 
nounce words of greeting, a flood of light from heaven in- 
undated the soul of Elizabeth, and her human love was 
suddenly transformed into profound and sacred reverence for 
her youthful cousin. "And it came to pass," says St. Luke, 
"that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the in- 
fant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the 
Holy Ghost; and she cried out with a loud voice and said: 
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of 
thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my 
Lord should come to me? For, behold, as soon as the voice 
of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb 
leaped for joy. And blessed art thou that hast believed, be- 
cause those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to 
thee by the Lord" {Luke i.). 

Now is accomplished all that had been promised to Zachary, 
the gray-haired priest, in the temple, "He shall be filled with 
the Holy Ghost even from His mother's womb." At this 
moment St. John was cleansed from the stain of original 
sin, and his soul was clothed with the white robe of sanctify- 
ing grace. He felt the nearness of that beloved friend whose 
w^ay upon earth he himself, in due time, was to prepare. At 
the same instant, too, the torrent of divine grace which had 
purified the child, inundated the soul of his mother, and she 
saw the grand mystery of the gospel, the redemption of the 

'About the end of March or beginning of April, some days after the 
angel had announced to Mary her selection to be the mother of Christ. 



MARY'S VISIT TO ELIZABETH 39 

human race, and recognized in Mary the mother of the Son 
of God. "Whence this superabundance of grace? From 
Jesus, certainly. And what channel of communication did 
he employ? The evangelist tells us in these words: "When 
Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary." Thus our beloved 
mother was the channel of the first saving grace. Our 
Saviour employed her blessed feet to carry Him in search of 
the first child of grace. He employed her virgin lips, her 
gentle words of salutation, in order to fill Elizabeth with the 
light of His divine spirit. And such is the proud function of 
Mary from the first hour of the work of redemption to the 
end of time : dispenser of Heaven 's graces. 

Observe one thing more. "And Elizabeth, filled with the 
Holy Ghost, cried out with a loud voice, and said : Blessed 
art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. ' ' 
This simultaneous praising of Mary and adoration of Christ, 
this union of homage, comes from the inspiration of the Holy 
Ghost himself. And why did Elizabeth give expression to 
this combined homage with a loud voice? That its echoes 
might resound from the tongues of the redeemed through all 
ages. 

Elizabeth's words of praise have been said. Now the 
mother of God opens her mouth and gives utterance to that 
sublime canticle of gladness and praise which the church has 
sung with rapturous joy for eighteen hundred years, and will 
sing to the end of the world, our grand Magnificat. 

^'Magnificat anima mea Dominum — my soul doth magnify 
the Lord. ' ' For all the honors conferred upon me and all the 
graces inundating my soul, are not my work, but the work of 
an all-gracious Lord. 

"And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." As 
the infant leaped for joy in its mother's womb, so I rejoice in 
God my Saviour. For in Him alone, and not in the wealth, 
pleasures, and honors of the world, are true joy and happi- 
ness of the soul. The pleasures of the flesh lead to destruc- 
tion, and perish with the flesh. Far be it from me, then, to 
rejoice in aught else, or to pride in aught else, but in God my 
Saviour. 

"For He hath regarded the lowliness of His handmaid." 
Because I, a creature of His hands, acknowledged my frailty, 
He hath chosen me for a vessel of grace. Poor Eve ! why 
didst thou forget thy origin, and wish in the pride of thy 
heart to be like to God, and thus become a vessel of ruin for 



40 MARY'S VISIT TO ELIZABETH 

all? "He has set me up for a blessing to all, and behold 
from henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed." A 
prince from the heavenly court intoned the chant of praise, 
Elizabeth took up the strain, and the distinctive mark of all 
those who shall serve my Son durini; future time, will be to 
call me blessed; not on my own account, but for His sake 
who hath filled me with grace and benediction. 

"Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me; 
and holy is His name.'' He hath sanctilied me fi-om the be- 
ginning of time, and with the beauty of virginity joined the 
dignity of motherhood. He hath raised me above angels and 
archangels, above cherubim and seraphim, by giving Him to 
be my own true child, before whom heaven and earth fall 
prostrate in adoration. He hath wrought greater things in 
me than in any other creature, but yet not for my sake alone, 
for His mercy is from generation unto generations, to them 
that fear Him. I see in spirit how the children of men shall 
come from the north and the south, from the rising and from 
the setting of the sun. to worship Him who dwelleth near my 
heart. I perceive the light of truth going forth from Him; 
that light illuminating their darkness of spirit, that comfort 
which cheers their hearts, that vigor which strengthens them 
to justice, and that life which vitalizes them for immortality. 
I see the dawning of the new and grace-abounding day; I per- 
ceive the miracles of mercy which shall be effected in myriads 
of bleeding hearts; and yet, too, I see the just chastisements 
that are to fall upon those who in pride of heart shall dare to 
oppose the kingdom of the Son of Man. 

"He hath showed might in his arm: He hath scattered the 
proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the 
mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He 
hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath 
sent empty away." He will cast down the idols from their 
thrones. He will break the force of the sword, He will humble 
the proud and the worldly-wise, and those who pride in their 
riches He will put to shame. He will call the poor and the 
simple to preach His word, He will raise up oppressed woman 
from her degradation. He will break the chains of the slave. 
I see the tree of life raising its lofty head and spreading its 
fair branches in the midst of His kingdom ; and on its fruit, 
the mystic bread, all those who labor and are weary shall feast 
and be refreshed. 

"He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of 



MARY'S VISIT TO ELIZABETH 41 

His mercy. As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to 
his seed forever." He will wash away the stains from Israel, 
and segregate the innocent and believing of His people. To 
these He will give power to found a new and glorious Israel 
which shall reach to the ends of the earth ; a kingdom of grace 
and truth, so that from Israel shall come the salvation of all 
nations, and the old promise shall be triumphantly fulfilled. 
Thus sang the bride of heaven, and with rapture and rever- 
ence did Elizabeth listen to the words of her canticle. How 
happy, too, she must have been during the three months' visit 
of our blessed Lady ! For exactly the same length of time did 
the ark of the covenant repose in the house of Obededom the 
Gethite, and Obededom and his family were blessed through 
the presence of the ark. What multiplied blessings must the 
real ark of the covenant have shed within the walls of Zach- 
ary's house, upon the devout family, and especially upon the 
future forerunner of our blessed Lord ! For, if at the first 
salutation of Mary, the unborn Baptist leaped for joy and 
was sanctified, and His mother filled with the Holy Ghost, 
what marvels of grace must have taken place during the three 
months which Mary passed with this thrice-privileged family ! 

3. The Birth of St. John the Baptist 

When Mary had, for the space of three months, discharged 
to her cousin, St. Elizabeth, her duty of love and respect, the 
time arrived for her to return home to her devout spouse, 
St. Joseph. For Elizabeth, the time described by St. Luke 
had come. "Now Elizabeth's full time of being delivered 
was come, and she brought forth a son. And her neighbors 
and kinsmen heard that the Lord had showed His great mercy 
toward her, and they congratulated with her. And it came 
to pass on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, 
and they called him by His father's name Zachary. And his 
mother, answering, said : Not so, but he shall be called John. 
And they said to her : There is none of thy kindred that is 
called by this name. And they made signs to his father how 
he would have him called. And demanding a writing-tablet 
he wrote, saying: John is his name. And they all wondered. 
And immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosed, 
and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came upon all their 
neighbors : and all these things were noised abroad over all 
the hill-country of Judea : And all they that had heard them 



42 MARY'S VISIT TO ELIZABETH 

laid them up in their heart, sayiuoj: AVhat a one, think ye, 
shall tliis child be ? For the hand of the Lord was with him. 

"And Zachary. his father, was filled with the Holy Ghost, 
and he prophesied, saying: Blessed be the Lord (iod of Israel, 
because He hath visited and wrought the redoni{)tion of His 
people. And He hath raised up a horn of salvation to us, in 
the house of David His servant. As He spoke by the mouth of 
His holy prophets, who are from the beginnintr: Salvation from 
our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us: To per- 
form mercy to our fathere, and to remeiiil)ei- His holy testa- 
ment. The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, that 
He would grant to us: That being delivered from the hand 
of our enemies, we may serve Him without fear. In holiness 
and justice before him, all our days. And thou child shalt 
be called the prophet of the Highest : for thou shalt go before 
tJie face of the Lord to prepare His ways. To give knowledge 
of salvation to His people, unto the remission of their sins. 
Through the bowels of the mercy of our Ood; in which the 
Orient from on high hath visited us. To enlighten them that 
sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct our feet 
into the ways of peace." 

By such wonderful events and admirable prophecies, v^as 
our heavenly Father pleased to signalize the birth of Him 
whom He had marked out as His divine Son's precursor, St. 
John the Baptist. 



PART III 

Birth, Infancy, and Youth of Jesus Christ 



CHAPTER I 

THE JOURNEY OF MARY AND JOSEPH TO 
BETHLEHEM 

1. Bethlehem 

Visions of the past must inevitably arise before the mind 
of the pilgrim when, leaving Jerusalem and traveling toward 
the south a distance of six or seven miles, he sees before him 
the remains of a renowned and holy city— that chosen city 
of grace where the great mystery of the Incarnation was made 
manifest in the birth of Christ— the ancient and royal moun- 
tain-city of Bethlehem. 

This favored town sat upon a hill, whose gentle slopes were 
mantled with stately groves of olive and fig trees, while rich 
and fertile meadow-lands stretched far away into the lovely 
valley below. To the pilgrim coming from Jerusalem its ap- 
pearance was very impressive; while the prospect, as seen 
from its own battlements, was indescribably beautiful and 
varied. Looking toward the north, the spectator saw beneath 
him the valley of Terebinth where David slew Goliath ; to- 
ward the east might be descried the waters of the Dead Sea 
solemnly suggestive of God 's punishments ; away to the south 
lay the famous town and country of Hebron, the home of 
Zachary and Elizabeth and birth-place of St. John the Bap- 
tist; and toward the west the eye swept over the fountains 
and gardens of Solomon, till it rested on a chain of moun- 
tains whose base was washed by the waters of the Mediter- 
ranean. 

This charmingly situated city of the ancient kings was 
sacred in the eyes of the Jews by reason both of its grand 
historical associations and of the glorious prophecy which had 
been foretold concerning it. It was on the plains of Beth- 
lehem that Rachel, the wife of the Patriarch Jacob, had 

43 



44 THE JOURNEY OF MARY AND JOSEPH 

brought forth her second son, whom she called Benoni, or 
child of sorrows, but whom his father named Benjamin, or 
son of his right hand— a figure of Christ, who, in His humilia- 
tions, was a veritable Benoni, a man of sorrow, but in His 
triumph became the true Benjamin, enthroned forever at the 
right hand of the eternal Father. 

It was on the plains of Bethlehem that this same Rachel, 
Mary's beauteous prototype, died in the pangs of childbirth 
and was buried.^ And here, even at this day, is her grave still 
visited by Christians, Jews, and Turks. 

It was on the plains of Bethlehem that Ruth, the gentle 
gleaner, exercised her filial love toward her mother-in-law, 
Noemi, and thus deserved to be one of those from whom Christ 
sprang in the flesh. 

On Bethlehem's plains, David, in his youth, tended his 
father's flocks. Bethlehem being his birth-place, was called 
the city of David. Its original name, however, was Ephrata, 
or fruitful, and it was subsetjuently known as Bethlehem, or 
city of bread. 

It was concerning this renowned city that, more than 700 
years before Christ, the following prophecy was pronounced: 
"And thou. Bethlehem-Ephrata, art a little one among the 
princes of Juda : for out of thee shall come forth the captain 
that shall rule my people Israel ; and His going forth is from 
the beginning, from the days of eternity" (Micheas v. 2; 
Matt. ii. 6). In Bethlehem, therefore, the birth-place of the 
David of the old law, was the David of the new law, the King 
of kings, Christ Jesus, to be born : for it had been so ordained 
by divine Wisdom from all eternity. 

2. Occasion of the Journey 

But how was this decree of God to be accomplished? For 
the virgin chosen to be the mother of the world's Redeemer 
dwelt with her spouse at a distance of at least four days' 
journey from Bethlehem. But God so ordered things that the 

'A pious pilgrim of our own time thus describes this grave: "This 
spot is certainly one of the most remarkable in the world. A woman, 
dying on her journey, is buried in this spot more than three thousand 
five hundred years ago, and her grave is still preserved, revered, and 
visited by the followers of three religions. This cannot be the result of 
chance or accident. There must be some better or symbolical reason 
why God has thus ordained. Probably because Rachel, by having been 
the mother of the Egyptian Joseph, was the type or figure of Mary the 
mother of Jesus." — Besuch bei 8em, Cham, und Japhet, von Alban Stolz. 



TO BETHLEHEM 45 

Roman emperor, Casar Augustus, became an instrument in 
the divine hands to carry out the ancient prophecy. "And it 
came to pass that in those days there went out a decree from 
Cgesar Augustus, that the whole world should be enrolled. 
And all went to be enrolled, every one into his own city" 
{Luke ii. 1). By this universal census, this haughty pagan 
ruler wished to add glory to his crown, and to ascertain 
officially who and how many were his taxable subjects. From 
the fact that the governor of Judea was compelled to prepare 
for this enrollment by ordering the Jews to repair at once to 
their respective family-towns, the most incredulous among 
them must have become convinced that now, at last, every 
vestige of their ancient independence had vanished; that the 
scepter had indeed fallen from the royal hand of Juda, that 
the fullness of time had come, and that the Redeemer must at 
once appear upon the earth. 

When St. Joseph received the order to go to Bethlehem, he 
was filled with alarm; and imparted the news to Mary with 
a heavy heart. For although he alone was required by the 
law to go, yet he was sorely exercised on account of his holy 
spouse. He could hardly venture to take her with him, for 
her days were almost accomplished; whilst to leave her in 
such a condition would be doing violence to his charity, rever- 
ence, and tender solicitude for her safety. But Mary, 
remembering the prediction of the prophet Micheas, and 
knowing it to be God's will that she should repair to Bethle- 
hem, encouraged her chaste spouse to unreserved submission 
to the holy will of God. The prospect of soon beholding and 
bearing in her arms and pressing to her bosom her infant 
Saviour, softened the asperities of the journey and animated 
her with invincible fortitude. 

3. From Nazareth to Bethlehem 

The day being appointed for their departure, the simple 
couple provided themselves with what was most necessary for 
the journey, which, as they knew, lay partly through very 
inhospitable regions. It was at the beginning of the winter 
season, when the long, cold night was succeeded by the chilly, 
cheerless day, when the bright skies were hidden by heavy, 
leaden-colored clouds, when the harsh winds of late autumn 
sighed through the lofty branches of the darkening pine trees, 
when nature had been stripped of her beauteous summer 
garb, that the lily of Israel, the fair and tender blossom of 



46 NO SHELTER IN BETHLEHEM 

the root of Jesse, was to come forth in her simple and timid 
beauty. 

Leaving Nazareth, their road led through long rows of fig 
and olive trees, now denuded of their foliage, into the ex- 
tended plains of Esdrelon, which stretch far away over a 
distance of fifty miles to the mountains of Samaria, whose 
bold outlines were just visible in the hazy atmosphere. On 
these plains, Holofernes had encamped with his army and met 
his death at the hands of the heroic Judith of Bethulia. Mary, 
the true Judith, now traversed these same plains in order to 
deliver her people, by the birth of her Son, from their tyrant- 
oppressor, Satan. In the sunnner season these plains, glowing 
with ripening fields and dotted with groves of stately trees 
in leaf, were a very paradise ; now they were monotonous and 
bleak, and the road, although level and easy, was wearisome 
to the eye and heart of the traveler. 

•4. They Arrive in David's City 

The journey is about to end ! In pious contemplation and 
subdued prayer, the pilgrims appi-oached Bethlehem from the 
west, where the ascent from the plain was gradual and easy. 

Immediately they repaired to the Roman tax-office, where 
all new arrivals in the city had to report and register their 
names. This office was in the old homestead of King David, 
just outside the town. To it came Mary and Joseph in order 
to comply first of all, even before finding lodgings, with the 
requirements of the law. Here they encountered a swarm of 
Roman and Jewish officials engaged on the work of enrollment 
and of reception of tributes, and soldiers engaged in keeping 
in order the crowd of applicants from all parts of the coun- 
try, who were eager, as it was already nightfall, to be the first 
to enter their names and then hasten away to some place of 
shelter and refreshment. 



CHAPTER II 



NO SHELTER IN BETHLEHEM FOR MARY AND 

JOSEPH 

1. The Unkindness of the Bethlehemites 

Leaving the public building, Mary and Joseph pursued 
their way to the top of the hill, entered Bethlehem, and at 




Martin Feuersteiii fopMi^ht l.\ licn/iKci I'.imII 

The Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple 



FOR MARY AND JOSEPH 47 

once repaired to the inn. This was a series of large buildings 
just within the city gates, containing accommodation for 
whole caravans of travelers, together with their merchandise 
and beasts of burden. In these inns usually all strangers were 
received and lodged ; but for Mary and Joseph, as the evan- 
gelist relates, there was no room. 

Joseph was troubled at this humiliating occurrence, prin- 
cipally on the Virgin's account, who was excessively fatigued. 
But, as he had been born in the town and had some acquaint- 
ances living there, he felt certain of being able to find shelter 
in some private house, and resolved to seek lodgings among 
these friends and acquaintances. But these would hardly 
recognize him, or else sought various pretexts not to under- 
stand nor to grant his petition. Side by side with his blessed 
spouse, did Joseph traverse the streets, going from door to 
door, but no heart was softened by his piteous appeals. At 
length they reached the opposite end of the town, and Joseph 's 
anxiety increased at every step, for night was coming on. 
Heartless people of Bethlehem ! You turn from your doors 
the mother of your Saviour. "The Son of Man came unto 
His own, and His own received Him not." He to whom the 
heavens belong can find no room on the earth. In Bethle- 
hem's homes are joy and comfort and warmth, while the 
Saviour of the world wanders in the street. At last, when 
all else had failed, Joseph remembered that there was to the 
east of the city a lonely cave, into which the shepherds used 
sometimes to drive their flocks in severe weather. Passing 
the city walls they approached the cave in the rock.^ It lay 
to the east of the city, at the foot of a small hill, and amid 
a grove of terebinth and cedar trees, whose branches formed 
a kind of arbor over the entrance, protecting to some extent 
the outer part of the grotto from the violence of the storm. 
The interior was divided into several caves, as is frequently 

^A chapel was erected over this grotto in the first century. Above 
and around this, Constantine afterward built a church of considerable 
size. About the year 550, Justinianus, one of the Eastern emperors, had 
this church torn down and a very costly and beautiful one built upon 
the sacred spot. This edifice, having breasted the storms of thirteen 
centuries, is still standing. Near the high altar, a winding-stairs leads 
down to the grotto where our Saviour was born. The precise spot is 
marked by a stone bearing the inscription, "Here Christ was born of the 
Virgin Mary." Leading out of the large cave is a passage to several 
others, in the largest of which St. Jerome dwelt when writing his ex- 
planation of the Scriptures. A Franciscan convent is attached to this 
church. 



48 THE BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST 

the case ainonj;: these mountains. It contained nothing but a 
little hay and straw forgotten by the shepherds, and a wooden 
manger used to hold the fodder for cattle. Such was the 
palace prepared by heaven's King to receive His only be- 
gotten Son who was to redeem the world. 



CHAPTER III 

THE BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST 

1. TiiK Holy Disposition of Mary Before the Birth of 

Jesus 

We are about to enter on the contemplation of the events 
of Christmas night. 

The blessed Virgin knelt before the manger in the stable 
absorbed in deep and silent pi-ayer. Brighter and more beau- 
tiful grew the supernatui'al light in which she now saw, more 
plainly than ever before, the divine mysteries of heaven, and 
especially the sublime mystery of the ever adorable Trinity— 
the tri-personal God in His essential unity. Once more the 
profound mystery of the Incarnation of the eternal Word 
was presented to her soul, and she recognized and understood 
the reason why the only begotton Son of the eternal Father 
was pleased to become man. She discovered how, by this 
Incarnation, degraded human nature was to be rescued from 
the universal deluge of sin which had overtaken it, be restored 
to its original purity and dignity, and even to a higher and 
more honorable position than before its fall. In her humility 
she shrank before the splendor of her own dignity in being 
chosen to give birth to the God-man, and, in capacity of 
mother, to embrace and nourish Him. She, a simple hand- 
maid of the Lord, deemed herself unworthy the custody of the 
infinite treasure. But this very humility augmented her 
transcendent fitness, by drawing down still more grace from 
heaven and enlightening still more her transparent soul. Her 
features were so resplendent with divine brightness and 
beauty, that she seemed no longer to be a child of earth. Her 
eyes were raised to heaven, her hands claspd upon her breast, 
her soul buried in the contemplation of the Deity. 



THE BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST 49 

2. The Sacred Hour 

As the hour of midnight drew near, a flood of celestial light 
pervaded the stable. The bleak and gloomy roof and sides of 
stone were lost in the flood of glory, and disappeared from 
view. The gates of heaven were thrown wide open, and from 
before the throne of divine Majesty hosts of heavenly spirits 
winged their way to earth, that the promise of the Holy Ghost 
might be fulfilled. "All the angels of God shall adore thee." 
Yes, they were sent to pay homage to the Saviour, for at this 
moment the King of kings, glowing like the sun, came forth 
from His bridal chamber. The Son of God is born a man; 
and, bathed in an affluence of celestial light, outshining the 
glory of Mary and the brightness of the angels, reposes a 
miracle-babe before His kneeling mother. For an instant the 
newly made mother was lost in heavenly ecstatic contempla- 
tion. 

3. The Homage of Mary and Joseph to the Divine Infant 

A feeble wail from the lips of the Child of heaven and of 
earth awoke its mother from her trance. Oh the indescribable, 
ravishing paroxysm of joy that seized her mother-heart as 
her eye fell upon her own child, and yet upon her King and 
Lord ! What ardent words of adoration, as she looks upon 
her God and Creator ! Prostrate upon the ground, she kisses 
the feet of her child, for He is her Creator; she kisses His 
hands, for He is her Lord and King. Again she imprints 
ardent kisses upon His infant lips, for this God and Creator, 
this Lord and King, is in reality her own treasure, her own 
child, her only, first born Son. 

As we contemplate this scene, we are forced to cry out with 
Louis of Granada : " O grant us, Queen of heaven. Gate of 
paradise. Temple of the Holy Ghost, Seat of eternal, un- 
created wisdom, impart to us a share of that rapturous devo- 
tion which overflowed thy heart at sight of this transcendent 
mystery of Christ's birth. What must have been thy rapture 
when holding in thy arms. Him whom the heavens cannot con- 
tain ! W^hat thy thoughts at hearing the feeble wail and see- 
ing the trickling tear issuing from a shivering infant, upon 
whom it was the delight of the angels to gaze ! What a thrill 
darted through thy soul as thou rememberedst that, among all 
the women who had ever been born, thou wast the only one 
chosen by heaven to be the mother of the Messias, and con- 



50 THE BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST 

seqiiently, to be the Queen of heaven ! What were thy feel- 
ings on gazing upon Him whose first earthly glance was fixed 
upon thy own sweet matronly countenance? How devotedly 
didst thou offer thyself as a voluntary sacrifice to Him who 
had come to offer Himself a victim for the sins of the world !" 

And now St. Joseph draws near to the divine Infant. He 
falls down and adores, joy and reverence fill his heart, tears of 
gladness bedew his cheeks, words of gratitude escape his 
trembling lips. He takes the infant Jesus in his arms and 
presses Him to his heart, and his soul is unable to contain the 
joy which overflows it. 

Mary now w-rapped the child in swaddling garments and 
laid it on some straw in the manger. 

4. Reflections Before the Manger 

^Yho is this child lying between two beasts in a cheerless 
stall, and yet whom all the angels are saluting? Who can 
this be, hidden under the straggling straw, and yet lighting 
up the heavens by His presence? It is a babe according to the 
flesh, a babe lying in a crib, but great is He in heaven where 
the very sun, moon, and stars obey His will, and angels pro- 
claim His power and majesty in strains of triumphant music. 
Great He is, too, upon the earth, for Herod shudders at His 
birth and all Jerusalem with him. Ever blessed manger that 
held the infant Saviour of mankind ! Thou art more privi- 
leged than the castle of the king or the palace of the prince. 
A little child weeps, and its tears and its wailings count more 
than all the music of the earth and all the songs of the celestial 
choirs. A ray of the eternal Father's glory nestles in the 
straw, the author of the angels is nourished with scanty milk. 
Thrice happy birth of God in the flesh, by which the birth of 
man is renewed, his misery alleviated, his chains broken, and 
the dread account of condemned nature cancelled, so that 
each one Avho was born unto death, may now be born again 
to life. For to those who receive thee, thou givest power to 
become the children of God. Truly Thou art a merciful child, 
for mercy created Thee. Not for Thyself wast Thou born, 
but for our sake and advantage, and not to please Thy own 
whim. Thou hast lowered Thyself, that, by Thy humility, 
Thou mightest raise the deep-fallen of our race, to glorify 
us by Thy lowliness. Sacred and blessed night on which the 
heavens touched the earth, and man received as the surest 



THE BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST 51 

pledge of divine mercy the King of heaven as a child of 
earth. 

5. The Spiritual Birth of Jesus in Our Hearts 

And this grace-laden gift of heaven to man shall be re- 
peated henceforth on each returning year for all ages. All 
that is imparted on this holy night to the entire world will 
be renewed in favor of every individual soul ; for this child of 
mercy, even to this day, seeks nothing else than to be spirit- 
ually born in the heart of every Christian. In deed and 
truth, would the birth of the eternal Word in the stable at 
Bethlehem, and all the other solemn events of Christmas 
night be vain and useless to you if Christ be not born in spirit 
in your heart. Consider, therefore, in what this spiritual 
birth consists. 

When the sinner casts a look backward upon the past years 
of his earthly pilgrimage, and discovers with a shudder of 
shame and fear how much precious time he has wasted in 
idle, transitory, worldly efforts, and with what countless 
stains of avarice, lust, and pride he has soiled his immortal 
soul ; when he examines and reckons closely what he has done 
out of pure love for God and for his own eternal salvation, 
and discovers little or nothing; when he becomes thoroughly 
conscious of his poverty of soul and utter helplessness, and 
looking into all his well-made but ill-kept resolutions, feels 
that he is no longer able to rise from this slough, that past 
and future seem veiled in a thick cloud of incipient despair; 
and when suddenly a flash of light bursts through this heavy 
cloud, and the unhappy man sees in this light the divine- 
human heart of Jesus, with its deep recesses of true love and 
abounding grace ; when he hears the voice of the Good Shep- 
herd saying ' ' Trust in Me, follow Me, I have helped and will 
still help you;" if the sinner at this moment stretches forth 
his arms imploringly and earnestly to the Sacred Heart, and 
cries out: "Lord, save me, I perish! Lord, I believe that 
Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God! In Thee, O 
Lord, do I put my trust ; let me share in the treasures of Thy 
grace established by Thee in Thy holy Church! Lord, I 
wish to love Thee with all the powers of my soul;" if then, 
strengthened in faith, hope, and charity, he makes a brave 
effort to rise, with the firm determination to maintain the 
contest for the spirit against the flesh, and so to walk in the 
spirit and after the example of Christ, then is Christ spirit- 



52 OTHER EVENTS OF CHRISTMAS NIGHT 

ually born again in that man, and true Christmas happiness 
exists in his soul. 

And there is joy and thanksgiving: on occasion of such a 
birth. The angels rejoice and declare heavenly peace to his 
soul. For, if the soul persevere with firmness and carry out 
the good resolutions made in reliance upon Christ; if the 
flesh be subjected to the spirit, and the spirit be obedient to 
Christ; then a true and lasting peace tlows in upon the soul, 
which begins at once to feel the truth of the divine words, 
"Learn of Me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you 
will find rest for your soul, for my yoke is sweet and my 
burden light." 



CHAPTER IV 

OTHER EVENTS OF CHRISTMAS NIGHT 

1. Earth's Homage: The Angels 

Describing the glory of the Holy Name, the apostle St. 
Paul says that at the name of Jesus, the God-Man, all powers 
in heaven, on the earth, and under the earth must bow down 
and adore. For He it is who, by His holy cross, hath opened 
the closed portals of heaven, in order that those places of 
happiness made vacant by the fall of Lucifer and his ad- 
herents might be filled by the souls of just men. It is He 
who, by His blessed name, raised the curse Avhich had pressed 
upon mankind, and through their fault, upon the very earth 
itself. It was He who overthrew the power of hell, and tri- 
umphantly wrung from the hands of the evil spirit the 
dominion which He had held over Adam's sons for such a 
long time. You can not wonder, then, that at the very hour 
of this Saviour's birth, a mysterious and miraculous move- 
ment was felt in heaven, on earth, and in the very pits of 
hell. "Whilst at this awful moment the devils were trembling 
in hell, heaven and earth were glad, and in their joy paid 
homage to the new-born king. This king is verily God and 
man, God of heaven and man of earth. Heaven and earth 
have claims upon Him; let us, therefore, contemplate by the 
crib of Jesus the Ambassadors from heaven and the Repre- 
sentatives of earth. 

Of these messengers from heaven, the Church, on Christ- 
mas day, sings : ' ' On this day the King of heaven was pleased 



OTHER EVENTS OF CHRISTMAS NIGHT 53 

to be born of a virgin, and hence the armies of the angels 
rejoice, for everlasting salvation has come to man." In 
similar strains had the Psalmist sung prophetically: "Sion 
heard and was glad; adore Him all you His angels." Who 
can describe this joy of Sion— of the heavenly Jerusalem? 
What indescribable festive joy there must have been in the 
celestial heights, when the eternal Father proclaimed to 
Seraphim and Cherubim, to all the choirs of angels, that the 
Saviour of the world had been born on earth ! In what joyous 
haste they swept down to the confines of earth to offer tributes 
of praise and adoration before the crib of the new-born King 
of heaven ! In ravishing strains, the like of which had not 
been heard since the creation of heaven, they sung in raptur- 
ous voices the praises of the infant Redeemer and of His 
unbounded mercy. 

2. Earth's Homage: The Shepherds 

Meanwhile one of the choirs of the joyous angels hastened 
away to announce the glad tidings to the neighboring shep- 
herds. St. Luke thus relates this extraordinary event: "And 
there were in the same country shepherds watching, and 
keeping the night-watches over their flock. And behold an 
Angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God 
shone round about them, and they feared with a great fear. 
And the Angel said to them : Fear not : for behold I bring 
you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people : 
For this day is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the 
Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you : 
You shall find the Infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and 
laid in a manger. And suddenly there was Avith the Angel 
a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying : 
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of 
good- will." 

On the plains of Bethlehem the lambs, sheep, and oxen set 
apart for the daily sacrifices in the temple at Jerusalem used 
to be kept and fed. The shepherds, under whose care they 
were placed, were usually simple, devout, and God-fearing 
men, who, with holy impatience, were looking forward to the 
coming of the Messias. An old legend informs us that among 
these men, three were especially remarkable for their ardent 
love for God and their strict fidelity to His commandments; 
and that just at the solemn hour of midnight these three 
shepherds, while watching their flocks, were engaged in ear- 



54 THE DIVINE INFANT IS CIRCUMCISED 

nest conversatiou about the expected Redeemer of the world. 
Thus from amongst the millions of men upon earth, an all- 
wise God was pleased to select these simple-minded shep- 
herds to be the ambassadors to Christ, the representatives 
before the crib, of the whole human family; the bearers to 
the infant Saviour of almost the first act of adoration and 
of respect and reverence to His blessed mother. What a 
choice privilege for these devout men ! Men, poor in money 
and goods, wanting in education and worldly knowledge, but 
rich in love and ardor for their Redeemer, in innocence and 
childlike faith, were chosen by the Almighty in preference to 
the great and the learned, in order to verify fully and truly 
the prophetic words of the Psalmist, "Out of the mouth of 
infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise" {Ps. 
viii. 3). 

The honest shepherds believed at once the words of the 
angelic messengers, and raising their eyes to heaven, listened 
with ravished ears to the strains of celestial melody. They 
said, looking at each other in amazement: "Let us go over 
to Bethlehem and see these things that have come to pass." 
They hurried forward to the cave. Never did high-priest 
enter with more awe and reverence into the Holy of Holies 
in Solomon's mighty temple than did these simple untutored 
men into the shadow of the grotto at Bethlehem. With clasped 
hands and bowed heads and hesitating step, they advanced to 
the manger, knelt down respectfully, bowed their faces to the 
earth, and humbly poured out their heart-deep adoration. 
So overcome were they with feelings of love and devotion 
that they shed tears of joy. Although their souls feasted 
upon the beauteous countenance of the divine babe, they were 
compelled to arise from their knees unsatisfied and to return to 
their shepherd duties. Casting a last look upon the divine 
countenance, they withdrew from the grotto. And Mary- 
patient, humble Mary— prudent mother that she was, "kept 
all these things pondering them in her heart." 



CHAPTER V 



THE DIVINE INFANT IS CIRCUMCISED AND 
CALLED JESUS 

"And after eight days were accomplished that the child 
should be circumcised, His name was called Jesus, which was 



AND CALLED JESUS 55^ 

called by the Angel, before He was conceived in the womb" 
{Luke ii. 21). 

1. Circumcision. Why Jesus Obeyed the Law 

We know that under the old dispensation, circumcision was 
of divine precept, and ordained by God for three reasons: 
firstly, as a sign of His covenant with His chosen people; 
secondly, as a figurative admonition to spiritual circumcision 
of the heart and to subjugation of unclean desires of the 
flesh; and thirdly, as a humiliating reminder that the ncAvly 
born child of man is a sinner and has justly forfeited his 
right to eternal life. 

This ceremony being a painful one to the infant, the tender- 
hearted virgin mother looked forward to the time of its per- 
formance with fear and anxiety; indeed, she anticipated and 
felt before hand, in her own heart, the smarting pain of her 
beloved child. At dawn on the eighth day the ceremony 
took place. After the ceremony, the priest recited the prayer 
prescribed for the occasion, saying: ''Blessed be the Lord 
our God, M^ho hath sanctified His beloved one from his 
mother's womb, and who hath imprinted His law upon our 
flesh and marked His sons with the seal of His holy covenant, 
for a participation in the blessings of our father Abraham." 
And the bystanders responded in the words of the psalmist: 
"Salvation to him whom Thou hast chosen to be thy son." 
The tears of the grieving mother flowed silently, when the 
first blood of her divine Son was shed for the forgiveness of 
our sins ; she mingled her tears with the tears of her innocent 
Lamb. 

Wherefore these tears? Why did the sinless Jesus choose 
to submit to a law prescribed for sinners only? To this in- 
quiry the holy writers of the Church give the following reply : 
In the first place, the Saviour wished to prove that He had a 
real human body, and not an imaginary one, as some heretics 
afterward attempted to maintain. Secondly, He wished to 
recognize openly the laws and requirements of the old dis- 
pensation, for they had been prescribed by God Himself. 
Thirdly, he wanted to establish before the world His de- 
scent in the flesh from Abraham. Fourthly, by undergoing 
circumcision. He gave us an example of the obedience with 
which we should comply with the precepts and counsel of 
the Church, even when they require from us something very 
repugnant to our inclinations, or appear themselves to be but 



56 THE DIVINE INFANT IS CIRCUMCISED 

trifling ceremonies. Fifthly, He wished to begin, on the day 
on which He received the name of Jesns or Saviour, His 
bitter snlt'erings, by the shedding of His blood. Sixthly, He 
wished to assume the burden of the old law, in order thereby 
to free us from its observance, as stands written in St. Paul's 
epistle to the Galatians: "Ood sent His Son made under the 
law, that He might redeem them who were under the law." 
Lastly and chiefly, that by submitting Himself like an ordi- 
nary'' sinner to the law of circumcision, He might prove Him- 
self to be the one who was to take away sin from the world — 
the representative and substitute of all sinful humanity. In 
His Incarnation and birth He had taken the form of a man, 
but in His Circumcision He took the form of a sinner; of a 
representative of all sinners, in order to take upon himself 
the divine curse and to atone for the iniquities of all men. 
Praise, honor, and thanks to Thee, therefore, my Jesus, for 
ever and ever. With love and sympathy for Thee in Thy first 
bloodshed, I salute Thee as my bleeding bridegroom, who, in 
the earliest hours of life, as well as in the last, wished to be 
espoused to me in suffering. Sun of Justice ! how thou dost 
glow in Thy rising and in Thy setting, in the stable and on 
the cross, and each time in Thy crimson garb of saving blood ! 
A rosy, crimson morning denotes an evening shower. What 
means the crimson aurora of Thy Circumcision, but that the 
evening of Thy life will see a shower of Thy blood flowing 
from every vein in Thy sacred body. Blessed be Thy in- 
finite love for us. thanks for all those sufferings of body and 
soul undergone by Thee for the sake of us. 

2. The Holy Name of Jesus. Its Meaning, Sweetness, 
AND Miraculous Pow^er 

When the child was circumcised, His name was called Jesus. 
Whence came this sweet and adorable name? You know, 
Christian reader. Man did not discover it, no finite mind 
invented it, the earth did not bring it forth, it originated in 
heaven. And when it was decided upon by the blessed 
Trinity, a prince of heaven was commissioned to carry it and 
to proclaim it to the world, and first of all to the chosen Virgin 
Mary : ' ' Thou shalt bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His 
name Jesus;" and again to St. Joseph: "Thou shalt call 
His name Jesus, for He will deliver His people from their 
sins." 



AND CALLED JESUS 57 

Yes, that is the meaning of the Holy Name of Jesus, 
Liberator— Liberator from the depths of an abyss from which 
there could otherwise be no escape; Deliverer from the curse 
which had weighed upon creation for 4,000 years ; Deliverer 
from the yoke of sin, from the slavery of the devil, in which 
all the nobler powers of human nature had been broken down ; 
Deliverer from intellectual darkness, from obdurate hearts, 
from an enfeebled will; Deliverer from everlasting death to 
which we had been condemned by sin. Such is the meaning 
of the holy name of Jesus. 



CHAPTER VI 



THE THREE WISE MEN ARE CALLED FROM THE 

EAST 

1. The Star of Promise 

We find wealthy and powerful kings, as well as poor, un- 
known shepherds, in adoration before the crib of Bethlehem; 
these indeed summoned by an angel, the former by the mir- 
aculous appearance of a star in the eastern sky. Of this 
extraordinary star, which was to appear in the fullness of 
time, in "the days of the great king," mention had been made 
in the fourth book of Moses, 1500 years before the birth of 
Christ. The history is as follows : When the Israelites were 
about to pass through the land of Moab, on their way to 
Canaan, King Balak summoned to his court a heathen prophet 
named Balaam, to curse the Hebrew people. But the Lord 
compelled the false prophet, against his will, to pronounce 
a blessing; so that, looking far away into future ages, and 
raising his voice, he said; "I shall see him, but not now: I 
shall behold him, but not near. A star shall rise out of 
Jacob and a scepter shall spring up from Israel : and shall 
strike the chiefs of Moab, and shall waste all the children of 
Seth. . . . Out of Jacob shall he come that shall rule." 

From this remarkable prophecy, the heathen nations had 
learned to believe that among the Jews a mighty king would 
one day be born, who would bring the Gentiles and their 
whole territory under his subjection. While most people 
naturally, in the course of long ages, lost sight of this won- 



58 THE THREE WISE MEN ARE 

derfiil prophecy, some few prominent and earnest men, who 
were well versed in astronomy, kept its remembrance fresh in 
their thoughts. So much importance did the Gentiles attach 
to the prophet's words, that, as tradition avers, certain per- 
sons were appointed to take their station on ^lonnt Victorialis, 
there to observe the heavens, and to watch and pray that God 
would soon permit this extraordinary star to appear in the 
firmament. But the watchers died without seeing the star. 
The desire for a Saviour did not, however, die with them; 
but was kept alive by transmission of the tradition from 
father to son through all generations. The watchmen on the 
mountain were replaced by others, from age to age. 

On Christmas night a strange star of unusual brilliancy 
was discovered in that portion of the sky toward Judea. Some 
astronomers are of opinion that it was merely a clustering 
together of several of the ordinary heavenly bodies, which had 
been brought unusually close together in their varied revolu- 
tions. But, as these scientific men are not agreed in their 
opinions about the relative positions of these heavenly bodies, 
nor about the time of the occuri-ence, we prefer to abide by 
the venerable tradition and the opinions of the old church 
fathers, and to believe that the eternal Father created an 
entirely new star, which He placed in the heavens in order to 
glorify the coming upon earth of His divine Son. For we 
read in St. Matthew that at the second coming of Christ to 
judge the world, '"the sign of the Son of Man shall appear in 
the heavens." 

2. The Three Kings Set Out on Their Pilgrimage 

At once several of the devout people of the East set out 
for Judea in order to visit the long-expected king and to pay 
him their homage. Chief among them were three estimable 
princes of the country, named Melchior, Caspar, and Bal- 
thasar, who felt themselves inspired by heaven to undertake 
the journey. Being well versed in the science of stars and 
acquainted with the old prophecy of Balaam, they were called 
Magi, or the Wise Men. As these three persons, each in his own 
country, were engaged on the night of the Lord's nativity, in 
studying the movements of the stars, and, like their forefath- 
ers, praying and yearning for the Redeemer 's coming, they saw 
simultaneously this unusually large and brilliant orb appear 
suddenly in the firmament in the direction of Judea. At once 
they knew, by special revelation, that now at last the long- 



CALLED FROM THE EAST 59 

wished-for star of promise had arisen. Admirable miracle 
of God's omnipotence! Glorious proof of that divine mercy 
which selected not only the people of Israel, but likewise sum- 
moned our pagan ancestors to worship, in the crib, the King 
of heaven and the Saviour of earth; the Jews in the persons 
of the believing shepherds of Bethlehem, the heathens in the 
persons of the three wise men from the East; the Jews, by 
an angel, as messenger of supernatural revelation, the 
heathens by a star, as figurative of natural revelation. 

It is impossible to describe the joy of the three kings when 
they discovered the brilliant star— first, with the eyes of their 
body, and then, by internal revelation, w^ith the eyes of their 
soul— and learned that now the desires of their fathers were 
attained, for the glorious morning-star of salvation, the 
Messias, had really appeared to men. Their joy was soon 
made practical. They immediately resolved to set out, not- 
withstanding the severity of the winter season and the diffi- 
culties of a journey of more than a hundred leagues, to visit 
Judea and there adore the new-born king. In treating this 
subject, St. Leo remarks: "He who had given them the star 
for a sign imparted to them the meaning of the sign, and what 
He imparted to them He influenced them to visit." 

So the three devout and learned princes prepared to set 
out, each one from his own land, taking with them valuable 
offerings to be presented to the new-born King. Each was 
accompanied by several companions, military attendants, ser- 
vants, and a number of people of various grades, so that the 
words of the prophet Isaias were fulfilled: "Arise, be en- 
lightened, Jerusalem: for thy light is come, and the glory 
of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold darkness shall 
cover the earth, and a mist the people : but the Lord shall 
arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And 
the Gentiles shall walk in thy light, and kings in the bright- 
ness of thy rising. Lift up thy eyes round about, and see : all 
these are gathered together, they are come to thee : thy sons 
shall come from afar, and thy daughters shall rise up at thy 
side. Then shalt thou see and abound, and thy heart shall 
wonder and be enlarged, when the multitude of the sea shall 
be converted to thee, the strength of the Gentiles shall come 
to thee : The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the drome- 
daries of Madian and Epha : all they from Saba shall come, 
bringing gold and frankincense, and shewing forth praise to 
the Lord." 



60 THE THREE WISE MEN ARE 

When all was ready, the royal caravan moved off, and the 
star which they had seen at home accompanied them as guide 
and faithful companion during the whole pilgrimage. The 
wise men, while meditating with deep devotion and enter- 
taining feelings of true reverence, kept their gaze fixed upon 
their heavenly messenger, and occasionally held conversation 
together, or chanted hymns of praise. On they went, over 
extensive countries, through vast deserts, across streams. 
^Yhen they passed through a town, the inhabitants would come 
out to gaze with wonder at the splendid equipments of the 
princes, their numerous attendants, and the long line of camels 
and dromedaries; though no one along the route, even close 
to Jerusalem, seemed to know anything about this new-bora 
king for whom the travelers eagerly inquired. 

3. Herod and the Jev^^ish Council 

At last, after much fatigue and inconvenience, they came 
within sight of Jei'usalem. With what unfeigned delight 
they hailed the appearance of this holy city, which they 
fondly supposed to be the goal of their pilgrimage! Surely 
here, in this widely renowned metropolis of Judea, the new- 
born king would be found. But as they came near to the 
stately gates, the star suddenly disappeared from the heavens. 
The astounded travelers did not look upon this event as fore- 
boding much good. Yet they determined to enter the royal 
city of King Herod, and, as they passed in long procession 
through the streets on their way to the palace, an immense 
concourse of people came out in surprise to view this unex- 
pected embassy, as they supposed it to be; for never before 
had three kings honored their city with their united presence 
on the same day. 

King Herod received his honored visitors with apparent re- 
spect and friendship, and conducted them into the royal 
saloons to hear the object of their coming. The eldest and 
chief one among the princes then said: "From the land of 
morning are we come to do homage to the new-born king of 
the Jews, for we have seen His star in our sky, that star for 
which our forefathers waited in vain for centuries, but which 
has now at last appeared and guided us hither by its own 
bright rays. Tell us, therefore, gracious and mighty king, 
where resides this long-expected ruler of Israel?" The cruel 
and jealous Herod was shocked at this inquiry on the part 
of these intelligent strangers. But concealing, as well as he 



CALLED FROM THE EAST 61 

could, his deep anxiety and jealousy, he replied in apparent 
good faith to his royal guests : ' ' Your inquiries are indeed 
of the greatest importance and significance, but you must be 
fatigued after your long and wearisome journey and need 
some repose. Take a few hours, therefore, together with all 
your attendants, to enjoy refreshment and rest ; and, at the 
proper hour, I will give you the fullest information possible." 
The three kings and their retinues of men and beasts sought 
repose in the quarters provided by Herod. 

Orders were immediately dispatched by couriers to all the 
chief-priests and scribes and other learned men of the city to 
assemble at once for the consideration of the important and 
unexpected subject, introduced by the advent of this extraor- 
dinary embassy. The novelty of the occasion had the effect 
of bringing them speedily and in full numbers to the council- 
hall, where they took their seats arrayed in the full robes of 
their priestly office and holding in their hands all the books 
of the law and the prophets. At the head of the Sanhedrim 
sat Hillel, the great master and philosopher. With him sat 
the Rabbi Samnas, or Simeon, the white-haired prophet, and 
the Rabbi Haccana, son of the late Nehumia ben Haccana. 
This last had written a very remarkable work on the Messias, 
called "The Unraveling of the Mysteries," and in the last 
jubilee week before Christ had uttered the startling prophecy : 
"But fifty years hence, and the king of Israel for whom the 
people are waiting will appear." At his dying hour, he said 
to his son : ' ' Thou art happy, Haccana, for thy eyes will see 
the day of the Lord. ' ' All these remarkable predictions were 
now being fulfilled, for here are these three important per- 
sonages who seem convinced that the "day of the Lord" has 
really dawned. 

After they had carefully consulted their books, the members 
of the council said to Herod : " If the Messias has really ap- 
peared, He must be now in Bethlehem in the land of Juda, 
for so it is written in the books of the prophet Micheas: 
'And thou Bethlehem Ephrata, art a little one among the 
thousands of Juda : out of thee shall He come forth unto Me 
that is to be the ruler in Israel, and His going forth is from 
the beginning, from the days of eternity' " (Micheas, v. 2). 
At this intelligence, Herod became very uneasy, and at once 
conceived the most bloodthirsty projects and designs to de- 
stroy this child. He resolved that the Hebrew boy must die, 
if he had a thousand lives. He sent secretly for the Wise 



62 THE THREE WISE MEN MAKE THEIR 

Men, and in a private interview made many anxious inquiries 
regarding: the appearance of the star, the manner, time, and 
other circumstances. He then addressed them, saying: "In- 
formation concerning this rukn- of Israel whom you seek lias 
been found by my priests in our holy books. Yon will pro- 
ceed southward from this city to a town called Bethlehem, 
and seek diligently after the child, and when you shall have 
found him, let me know at once, that I may come with my 
court to do him honor. ' ' 



CHAPTER VII 



THE THREE WISE MEN MAKE THEIR ADORATION 
TO THE INFANT JESUS 

1. TiiEY Prepare to Adore Jesus 

Hardly had the three kings bidden adieu to Herod and 
issued from the gates of Jerusalem when the vanished star 
appeared again with all its wonted brilliancy. At this wel- 
come and cheering sight the whole caravan burst forth into 
acclamations of joy, and of thankfulness to the God who had 
favored them with such special graces. With renewed courage 
and increased longing for the object of their search, they has- 
tened on to Bethlehem, and soon the gray walls and ancient 
battlements of David's city greeted their eyes. The entrance 
into the town of such an unusually large and brilliant caval- 
cade brought out the whole of the wondering population. But 
the pilgrims kept their eyes fixed upon their guiding star and 
followed its movements, till it led them to the outskirts of the 
town, where it stood still directly above the lowly stable. 

The Magi now felt convinced that their journey was ended 
and their object attained. Yet they were sorely puzzled at 
seeing no palace, not even a cottage. Only a ruinous stable 
stood before them. They could not understand how He, whose 
glory had been proclaimed by heaven itself, could dwell in 
this poor and gloomy abode of cattle. Yet there stood the 
miraculous star shedding its brightest rays in a shower upon 
this abandoned ruin. But, as they were looking, with doubt 
and misgiving, into the stable, their souls were, in reward of 
humility and perseverance, so brilliantly enlightened by the 




Mui'tiii Feuersteiu 



Copyrif^ht by Blmi/.i^jct nn.tlie]-.- 



The Holy Family 



ADORATION TO THE INFANT JESUS 63 

Holy Ghost, and they understood and appreciated so thor- 
oughly the poverty and self-denial of the Infant Prince, that 
they trembled at discovering how near they were to the King 
of heaven and how soon to appear in His presence. 

Hastily adjusting their travel-stained garments, arranging 
their presents and collecting their thoughts together, they 
prepared themselves for a becoming appearance before their 
King. To-day may be seen, near the large church in Bethle- 
hem, a small chapel with an altar erected on the very spot 
where the three Magi got themselves in readiness before enter- 
ing the stable. 

2. Their Adoration at the Manger 

They found Mary seated, with the divine Infant in her 
arms, while St. Joseph stood near gazing with eyes of tender 
affection upon His heavenly Charge. Completely over- 
powered at this spectacle of poverty and humility, the eastern 
kings, unable to utter a word, sank upon their knees before 
the child. In their hearts, however, silent canticles of praise, 
of adoration, and of thanks, sweeter and more expressive, and 
more acceptable than the psalms of David, were struggling 
for utterance. 

3. Their Three-Fold Offering 

At last they rose from their devotions, and having rever- 
ently and fondly kissed the feet of the infant Jesus, opened 
their treasures, and with bowed heads and bended knees, 
presented their offerings of gold, incense, and myrrh, before 
the altar of the manger. 

And now learn the meaning of the three gifts. Gold is the 
king of metals, and symbolizes royal dignity. Incense sym- 
bolizes the divine nature and the priestly office. Myrrh is 
the bitter spice used in embalming bodies, and symbolizes the 
humanity of Christ dying upon the cross. 

4. Their Return to Their Own Country 

The devout kings had now accomplished their desire and 
finished their pilgrimage, having seen Jesus with their own 
eyes and presented their offerings, and received in return 
many blessings of heaven and much wonderful enlightenment. 
Taking leave, therefore, of the holy family, they prepared to 
return quietly to Jerusalem, in order to inform Herod of their 



64 THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE 

great and happy success. But during the night preceding 
their departure, as they lay asleep in their tents, they had a 
vision of angels, one of Avhom said: "Arise and hurry away 
to your homes, but do not pass through Jerusalem : take the 
route through the desert, for Herod must not see your faces or 
learn a word from your lips." 

After a long and fatiguing ride they reached their own 
country, and announced to their eagerly inquiring friends 
and neighbors how they had been guided by the strange star, 
described their interview with Herod, and their indescribable 
happiness at finding the new-born King. An ancient writer 
tells us that after the ascension of our Lord, the holy apostle 
St. Thomas went to the East and baptized the three kings, 
who, from that time, became staunch defenders and eloquent 
preachers of the faith of Christ, and afterward were made 
bishops. Some years later, their remains were brought to 
Constantinople, were removed afterward to Milan, and were 
finally brought by the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to the 
city of Cologne, where they are to-day held in profound 
veneration. 



CHAPTER VIII 



THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE - 

THE PURIFICATION OF THE BLESSED 

VIRGIN-CANDLEMAS 

1. The Law on the Dedication op Children. Purification 

A FEW weeks after the departure of the wise men, the days 
of the Purification, as St. Luke informs us, were accomplished, 
in accordance with the law of Moses. For every Jewish 
mother who had given birth to a male child was required to 
repair to the temple after the lapse of forty days, and amid 
sacrifice, benediction, and prayer, to seek the prescribed puri- 
fication, or release from uncleanness and from exclusion from 
the temple. The law required her to offer a lamb one year 
old as a burnt-offering, and, besides, a pair of doves for a 
sin-offering. If the mother were poor, she might bring a sec- 
ond dove instead of the more costly lamb. 

The law, moreover, required that every first-born son should 
be carried to the temple and dedicated to the Lord ; and un- 



THE PURIFICATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN 65 

less he belonged to the tribe of Levi, he was then to be released 
by the payment of a ransom of five shekels. This ceremony 
had been established by God himself in remembrance of that 
night on which the destroying angel slew all the first-born 
of Egypt, but spared the first-born of Israel. 

2. From Bethlehem to Jerusalem 

So the holy mother of God prepared to set out with her 
spouse, St. Joseph, on their journey to the Holy City. They 
soon stood before the gates of Jerusalem. 

Quietly and unnoticed the holy family passed through the 
streets on their way to the temple, where they met the vener- 
able old priest Simeon. It had been revealed by the Holy 
Spirit to this servant of God that he M^ould not see death till 
he had first seen the consolation of Israel, the promised 
Messias. 

3. Mary's Offerings 

The Blessed Virgin was then conducted to that part of the 
temple where the purification of women usually took place. 
pure and immaculate bride of heaven, who wast spotless 
before thy Son's birth, spotless in His birth, and spotless after 
His birth ! Well didst thou know that no stain was in thee, 
and yet thou didst, with heartfelt humility, shrink into little- 
ness at the thought that grace alone it was that saved thee, 
and not thy own deserts. Pondering such humble thoughts 
Mary stood up before the altar of purification, while the 
priests pronounced the prescribed prayers and benedictions 
over her, and killed the two doves— one as sin-offering, the 
other to be burnt. 

4. Christ is Offered in the Temple 

When the ceremony of purification was over, the venerable 
Simeon conducted the Holy Mother and her Child to the 
altar, where the presentation and ransoming of the first-born 
was performed. As she laid her Child on the "table of offer- 
ings," a supernatural light seemed to fill up the sacred edi- 
fice, and the glory of God was made manifest in the temple, 
while the eye of faith saw the heavens open above the sanctu- 
ary and a torrent of brightness poured down from the throne 
of the blessed Trinity over the Child of Grace. Just at this 
moment the prediction of the prophet Aggeus Avas verified: 



66 CANDLEMAS 

"For thus saith the Lord of hosts: Yet one little while, and 
I will move the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the 
dry land. And I will move all nations: And the desired op 
ALL NATIONS SHALL COME : and I will fill tliis house with glory, 
saith the Lord of hosts. . . . Great shall be the glory of this 
last house more than of the first, saith the Lord of hosts : and 
in this place I will give peace, saith the Lord of hosts." 

Several priests were always present at the rite of Presenta- 
tion. One of them took the Child from His mother's arms, 
held it over the altar of offering, raised his eyes to heaven, 
and pronounced the prescribed prayers and benedictions, 
whilst the devout parents offered the five pieces of silver for 
His ransom. 

5. Simeon. Candlemas 

Every requirement being complied with, the offerings were 
sacrificed, and the ceremony was over. Now holy Simeon 
gave full vent to his pious feelings. How long he had waited 
for this happy hour! The holy evangelist thus speaks of 
him: "And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named 
Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the 
consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was in him. And 
he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he 
should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the 
Lord. And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And 
when his parents brouglit in the child Jesus, to do for Him 
according to the custom of the law: He also took Him into 
his arms, and blessed God, and said : Now thou dost dismiss 
thy servant, Lord, according to thy word in peace : Be- 
cause my eyes have seen thy salvation. Which thou hast pre- 
pared before the face of all peoples. A light to the revelation 
of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." Who 
could describe the sentiments of this venerable and saintly 
prophet, or picture the delight of his heart, as he gazed upon 
the object of his life-long prayers, sighs, and tears, the object 
of his longing and ardent desires? With what feelings of 
ardent love he stretched forth his arms to the beauteous Babe, 
to the all-holy treasure of the Godhead ! Surely the tears of 
joy shed by this devout old man, his ecstatic look toward 
heaven, the ardent kisses impressed on the Infant's hands, all 
this was a thank-offering as pure, true, and pleasing to God 
as any that had ever been offered in the old law. 

This salvation in Christ was described by holy Simeon as 



CANDLEMAS 67 

a light to the revelation of the Gentiles. For he remembered 
the old prediction of the prophet Isaias, who_, alluding to the 
future Messias, declared: "I have given thee for a light of 
the Gentiles: that thou mightest open the eyes of the blind 
and bring forth the prisoner out of prison, and them that sit 
in darkness out of the prison-house ; and the nations shall 
walk in thy light" (Isaias, xlii. 7). Simeon sees and praises 
this glorious and mysterious light, and directs the attention 
of all future generations to its comforting rays. Hence it is 
that the festival set apart by the Church to commemorate this 
event is called, as well as the Presentation of Christ, the 
Purification of the Blessed Virgin and Candlemas-day. The 
candles blessed on this day and carried in procession are a 
figure of Christ, the true light of heaven, recognized by 
Simeon and declared to be the salvation and glory of his 
people. 

But why does the prophetic Simeon turn to the virgin- 
mother and wound her tender heart with the ominous words : 
"This child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of 
many in Israel and for a sign which shall be contradicted : 
and thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of many hearts 
thoughts may be revealed?" (Luke ii.) Ah, this is the 
prophecy of that sad truth related as an accomplished fact 
one hundred years later by St. John the evangelist: "The 
light shineth in darkness and the darkness did not compre- 
hend it," that is, tvould not comprehend it. All those who 
were of good will and regretted their wanderings in the dark- 
ness of error, unbelief, and vice, received grace to turn to the 
light of Christ, to rise from the shadow of darkness and to 
become the children of God. Those, on the contrary, who 
called their dimness of intellect, light ; their blindness, wis- 
dom ; who rose up in pride and anger against the light of 
Christ; such persons contradicted and rejected Him; thus 
their darkness became greater, and their fall deeper and more 
dreadful than before. 

6. The Prophetess Anna 

On this same memorable day, when the divine Child was 
recognized in the temple as the light of the world, not the 
men alone, but the women, too, were to have their repre- 
sentative. St. Luke pursues his story of this day, telling us : 
"And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of 
Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser : she was far advanced in years, 



68 THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT 

and had lived with lier luisband seven years from her vir- 
ginity. And she was a widow until four score and four years: 
who departed not from the temple, by fastings and prayers 
serving night and day. Now she at the same hour coming in, 
confessed to the Lord : and spoke of Him to all that looked 
for the redemption of Israel." 

As Mary and Joseph listened to the remarkable words of 
Simeon and Anna, they wondered that it had so soon pleased 
the Holy Ghost to make known the hidden glory of their 
child. All four together praised the mercy of God, and then 
the holy parents, bidding farewell to Simeon and Anna, re- 
turned with their infant to their own home at Nazareth. 



CHAPTER IX 



THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT-THE SLAUGHTER OP 
THE INNOCENTS 

1. The Angel's Warning 

Not long were the Holy Family permitted to enjoy the 
peace and retirement of their home in Nazareth. Herod's 
suspicion and jealousy were aroused, for he suspected that 
this wonderful child might be the long-looked-for Messias 
who was to free the Jewish people from the dominion of their 
Roman conquerors, and become the ruler of a kingdom that 
was to extend to the ends of the earth. He conceived the 
dreadful purpose of putting to death all the male children of 
Bethlehem of two years of age and under. 

But of what avail are the best laid plans of a villain when 
God is pleased to protect and save His own? "Behold," says 
St. j\Iatthew, "an Angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to 
Joseph, saying: Arise and take the Child and His mother and 
fly into Egypt, and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will 
come to pass that Herod will seek the Child to destroy Him" 
(Matt. ii. 1,3). An unexpected, painful, and difficult duty for 
the faithful foster-father of Jesus. Instantly, without time 
for preparation, and in the dead of night, he must abandon 
home, neighbors, friends, and relations, to set out over un- 
known and perilous roads to a strange and distant land. But 
he does not hesitate. Well grounded in the virtue of sub- 



THE SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS 69 

mission to the divine will, he arises immediately and goes to 
break the unpleasant intelligence to the blessed Virgin. 

No murmur escapes her lips as she hastily prepares to leave 
her peaceful home and go forth into the world. 

2. Why to Egypt 

To Egypt! Why to this pagan land? The evangelist him- 
self tells us, in order that the word of the Lord spoken by the 
prophet might be fulfilled, saying: "Out of Egypt have I 
called My Son" {Matt. ii. 15). Consider how the history of 
Christ's life, even down to the minutest particular, had laeen 
foretold centuries before His birth, by the prophets of the 
old law. The Holy Ghost wished thereby to prepare the minds 
of men against the day of Christ's coming, as well as to fur- 
nish us with one of the most irrefragable proofs of His di- 
vinity. Had this Jesus, whose doctrines the apostles preached 
and whose miraculous life the evangelists wrote, come sud- 
denly before men, as an entirely new and unexpected appari- 
tion, we can well understand how many would have refused 
to believe in Him. But when we remember that since the time 
of Moses, during a period of a thousand years, virtuous men, 
inspired by God, had written prophecies foretelling the 
minutest circumstances in the life of the promised Redeemer ; 
that every page of the Jewish Scripture foretold him so 
plainly as to compel the most learned rabbis of the present 
day to pronounce the Old Testament one continued prophecy ; 
that in the Christ preached by the apostles and described by 
the evangelists, all these prophecies have been fulfilled to the 
letter; how deplorable and reprehensible is the willful blind- 
ness of those who still persist in rejecting Him and His saving 
truths ! 

A second reason why Christ chose Egypt as the home of 
His infancy, was His wish to establish a parallel between 
Himself and the nation of which He was the true and lawful 
spiritual King; for it was in that country that the people of 
Israel passed the period of their national infancy. 

Finally, the people of that country, sunk as they were to 
the lowest depths of idolatry, even to the worshiping of the 
devil himself, were the completest representatives of pagan- 
ism. And it pleased divine Providence to afterward make 
their land the theater of the most glorious triumphs of Christ 
and of His Church. In preparation for this happy trans- 



70 THE SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS 

formatiou. Jesus took up His abode within its boundaries, 
sanctified it by His presence, and scattered His blessings pro- 
fusely among its inhabitants. 

3. The Journey to Judea ; Through the Desert 

In this land of Efzypt. then, nuist the holy family seek pro- 
tection from the cruel desijjns of Herod. It was midni^jht 
when Joseph and Mary, carrying the divine Infant, fled from 
Nazareth. All nature seemed buried in ominous repose, as. 
seated upon the faithful beast of burden, which had been 
their fellow-traveler before now. ]\Iary. with Joseph at her 
side, slowly and cautiously deseended the hill near the town, 
into the plain below. 

But what course shall they now follow'/ In their great 
fear, they turned aside from frequented roads, and, shunning 
towns and inns where they might find some food and shelter, 
journeyed over secluded paths through Galilee, Samaria, and 
Judea; often sleeping umler the canopy of heaven, and often 
tormented with thirst and hunger. 

At length the weaiy wanderers reached their destination, 
beyond tlie jurisdiction of Herod. 

4. Infanticide 

Meanwhile the uneasiness of the bloodthirsty tyrant in 
Jerusalem increased every day. Knowing notliing of the 
holy family's escape, he did not doubt but that his cruel edict 
would reach effectually the much dreaded "Ruler over 
Israel." Often already, had Herod's soul been stained with 
blood, and he shrank not, therefore, from this cruel slaughter 
of the innocents. Legend tells us that he invited all the 
mothers of Bethlehem to meet in the public town-hall, and to 
bring their children of two years old and under, so that he 
might award a prize to each child. How happy the unsus- 
pecting mothers must have been on this day, as they arrayed 
themselves and their dear ones in holiday attire to make a 
creditable appearance before the king or his representatives! 

Hardly were all safely within the building when the doors 
were fastened and Herod's executioners, rushing upon the 
horror-stricken mothers, tore the children from their arms, 
strangled and choked them, or trampled them to death. Con- 
ceive, if you can, the terror and anguish of these paralyzed 
mothers. "^^Mien thej^ saw the streams of blood and heard the 



THE RETURN FROM EGYPT 71 

choking gasp or the piercing shriek of their dying innocents, 
the mothers, awaking from their stupor and realizing the ex- 
tent of the dreadful calamity that a cruel prince had inflicted 
upon them, sent up an agonizing cry of terror and despair, 
that well might move even the stony-hearted minions of King 
Herod. "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jere- 
mias the prophet, saying: 'A voice in Rama was heard, 
lamentation and great mourning: RacheP bewailing her 
children, and would not be comforted because they are not' " 
{Matt. ii. 17, 18). 

We can discover in this affliction of the Bethlehemite 
mothers, the decrees of divine justice, and in the fate of the 
innocent children, the mystery of God's mercy. For these 
innocents are to be envied and considered fortunate in having 
been selected as the first victims in the cause of Christ, and 
after so short-lived a pain, to be numbered among His glorious 
martyrs. The superabundant merits of Christ supplied all 
that was wanting in them of free-will and understanding; 
and, baptized in their own blood, they really did receive a 
prize and an ample share of that glory prepared by the Son 
of Man for those who follow Him through suffering and death. 



CHAPTER X 
RETURN OF THE HOLY FAMILY FROM EGYPT 

1. The Angel's Message 

In their dreary exile in the land of Egypt, the Holy Family 
were favored with much consolation from heaven. Yet their 
involuntary, though necessary, intercourse with the pagan in- 
habitants became from day to day more and more distasteful. 
Their hearts grew sad as they witnessed the dismal idolatry 
and other cruel and disgusting vices of the Egyptians, and 
they yearned eagerly for a return to their own home. One 
night an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in his sleep, 
and addressed to him the thrice welcome words: "Arise and 

'Rachel, whose grave was on the plains of Bethlehem, near the village 
of Rama, was looked upon as the patroness or guardian of Bethlehem. 
The prophet in spirit discovers Rachel emerging from her tomb, weeping 
over the calamity that had befallen those whom she loved. 



72 THE RETURN FROM EGYPT 

take the Child and His mother, and s:o into the land of 
Israel: for thev are dead that sonirht the life of the Child" 
{Matt. ii. 20).' 

An uneonnnon disease had overtaken Herod; a scorching 
heat racked his insides, an nnappeasable desire for food tor- 
mented him ; and yet, to eat but added to his internal a^ony. 
His body was fearfully swollen ; ami worms from internal 
ulcers, gnawing their way thi-ongh his tlesh antl skin, crawled 
in thousands on his bed. To bodily pain was added, of course, 
dreadful mental anguish, as he i-enuMiibered the sins of his 
past life, his oppi-essions, cruelties, and even nmrders, and 
now the approaching eternal penalties. In his despair he 
tried to kill himself, but had not the strength left in his 
withered arm. At last, in raging agony, he gasped forth his 
polluted soul, and Heroil. the first eiu'my and persecutor of 
Christ, was dead. 

The enemies of the Saviour were dead; hence the angel's 
long-desired, thrice-welcome message to Joseph came at last: 
"Arise and take the Child and His mother and go into the 
land of Israel." He arose at once, returned heartfelt thanks 
to heaven, and hastened to impart the joyful news to Mary. 
Mary, first raising her heart in gratitude to God, began at 
once preparations for their journey. 

2. The Arrival 

At last the weary pilgrims crossed the confines of Egyptian 
territory. St. Joseph now thought of going to Bethlehem, 
there to take up his abode, with Jesus and Mary, in the 
ancient city of David. "But hearing that Archelaus reigned 
in Judea, in the room of Herod his father, he was afraid to 
go thither." After Herod's death Archelaus received Judea, 
Samaria, and Idumea; Herod Antipas, who afterward put 
St. John to death and mocked Jesus Christ, received Galilee 
and Perea ; and Philip, the remainder of Palestine. Archelaus 
was cruel, like his late father ; having, among other evil deeds, 
slaughtered in one day 3000 Jews who had come to Jerusalem 
to assist at the celebration of the Passover. After submitting 
to his inhuman rule for ten years, his subjects succeeded in 
obtaining his deposition by the Roman emperor, and from 
that time Judea became a Roman province and was ruled over 
by a governor. 

St. Joseph, hearing of the cruelty of Archelaus, became 



THE GROWTH OP JESUS 73 

alarmed for the safety of the Child. God heard the earnest 
entreaties of His servant, and again sent His angel to desig- 
nate the part of the Holy Land to which the saintly family 
should repair. "Being warned in sleep," says St. Matthew, 
"Joseph retired into the quarters of Galilee," where Herod 
Antipas was then governing with comparative mildness. He 
willingly obeyed heaven's directions, and, as the same evan- 
gelist goes on to saj^, "Coming, he dwelt in a city called 
Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was said by the 
prophets: that He shall be called a Nazarite" (Matt. ii. 23). 
As soon as the last message of the angel was received, our 
anxious travelers set out on their way to Nazareth. Who 
can describe the happiness of these poor pilgrims when they 
were once more permitted, after an absence of many years, to 
look upon their native town and home, to walk through the 
old familiar streets, to enter their own little cot, and to receive 
the warm and friendly welcome of kindred and neighbors ! 



CHAPTER XI 

THE GROWTH OF JESUS 

1. Two Natures in Christ. Gradual Development op His 
Human Faculties 

Though the Holy Scriptures relate in full the flight of the 
child Jesus into Egypt and His return to Nazareth, yet they 
give us but three other circumstances of the whole remaining 
period of His boyhood and youth. These events are, first, 
the fact that "the Child grew and waxed strong"; His jour- 
ney to Jerusalem; and His obedience to Mary and Joseph. 
St. Luke tells us: "The Child grew and waxed strong, full 
of wisdom, and the grace of God was in Him. And Jesus 
advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men" 
{Luke ii.). 

Here let us endeavor to understand the difference between 
the two natures of Jesus Christ. He is at the same time both 
God and man. In His divine nature, as God, Christ could 
not advance or grow; for from the first moment of His Con- 
ception to the hour of His Ascension into heaven. He pos- 
sessed an infinite wealth within Himself of divine omnipo- 



74 THE GROWTH OF JESUS 

tenee. wisdom, and love; and could thus, even while a child, 
perform any conceivable miracle. As Man, on the other hand, 
Christ chose to become like to us in all things, with the ex- 
ception of sin, which, obviously, does not belonj; essentially to 
human nature. He chose to assume a human body, not simply 
for the purpose of animating it by His divinity, or of con- 
cealing within it the beauty and majesty of His Godhead, 
as certain heretics of antiquity would maintain ; but He wished 
to take, in the first moment of His Incai-nation, a real human 
soul, and thus possess a human intellectual power, a human 
heart, and a human will, that He mi^dit be to us a real and 
true brother in the most perfectly close similarity of life, and 
so become our Redeemer. So our blessed Saviour chose, as 
Son of Man, to grow in a similar manner, that is, to advance 
and grow in years, and in a cori-espouding ratio of wisdom 
and beauty before God and men. 

"We nuist surely hold, and undoubtedly believe, that the 
Divinity of Christ permeated his humanity, enlightened and 
enlivened it; and this not at one time only, as, for example, 
at His Transfiguration on IMount Thabor, but at all times and 
in every moment of His earthly life. But in what way this 
human nature of Christ, without losing any of its essence, 
was lifted above life itself by divine majesty perfected and 
glorified, and in how far the hiunan cognition, power and 
grace of Jesus Christ, and in what manner these qualities 
grew and developed internally and outwardly; all this is pro- 
found mystery and can not be grasped nor understood by 
human intelligence. And it is not necessary that we should 
fully comprehend this mystery ; though it is very necessary 
that we should, with humble faith, acknowledge Jesus Christ 
to be the true Son of Man and true Son of God, and as such 
should adore and love Him as did Mary and Joseph. 

2. The Joy of His Parents at His Growth 

It was the happy privilege of His parents to witness this 
mysterious growth of Christ in His humanity. Day after 
day, they saw the bodily powers of the child Jesus increase 
in strength and beauty. They saw upon each comely feature 
in His countenance the daily increasing evidences of the in- 
terior development of the powers of His mind and of the 
qualities of His heart. They saw His personal elegance grow- 
ing in beautiful harmony with His inner dignity and holiness, 



JESUS VISITS THE TEMPLE 75 

as evinced in the tone of His voice and in every movement and 
gesture. 

You must bear in mind that the nature of their Child, 
the humanity of Christ, precisely because it was without the 
corruption of sin, and was joined in the most intimate life- 
union with the Godhead, was of and within itself, necessarily 
the most perfect and elevated humanity, so that Adam even 
in paradise, did not reach the excellence of the human nature 
of Jesus Christ, neither in beauty of person, in clearness of 
intellect, nor in goodness of heart. You may therefore im- 
agine the unspeakable rapture enjoyed by the heaven-privi- 
leged parents of Jesus, as often as their glance alighted upon 
their boy, or as often as they conversed with Him. How 
lovely He must have been, too, in the eyes of other children; 
how polite toward the grown, how respectful toward the 
aged, how mild and compassionate toward the poor, how 
obedient toward His parents, how attentive to His daily occu- 
pation, how assiduous and cheerful at His labor, how child- 
like and simple in His conversations, how gentle and un- 
assuming in His answers ! And especially in those hallowed 
moments when, at home and united with Joseph and Mary, 
He sang the praises of God, or poured out His soul in fervent, 
humble prayer to His heavenly Father. What ravishing 
sentiments of love must then have overpowered the hearts of 
His parents ! What gloAving flames of charity must have lit 
up their gladdened souls! 



CHAPTEE XII 



JESUS AT TW^ELVE YEARS OF AGE VISITS THE 

TEMPLE 

1. The Pilgrimage to Jerusalem 

By a requirement of the old law, the Jews were obliged to 
visit, three times during the year, at Easter, Penetecost, and 
on the Feast of the Tabernacles, their holy sanctuary, the 
temple at Jerusalem ; thus to make a pilgrimage to adore God 
in public and to openly acknowledge themselves to be the 
Lord's people. 

The Holy Scriptures assure us that the parents of Jesus 



76 JESUS VISITS THE TEMPLE 

complied willinoly and senipiilonsly with this requirement of 
the old law, and went resrularly every year up to Jerusalem 
to take part in the ceremonies of the feast of the Passover. 
Jesus did not accompany His parents on these pilgrimages till 
He was twelve years of age. for the journey from Nazareth 
to Jerusalem was a difficult one of three full days' travel. 

Jesus having at last attained His twelfth year, and the 
feast of the Passover having come round again, He was per- 
mitted and even obliged to accompany His parents to Je- 
rusalem. Mary and Joseph looked forward to this occasion 
with much pride and satisfaction, and the child Jesus was 
delighted at the prospect of visiting His Father's house. 

Hardly had the holy pilgrims reached Jerusalem than they 
were already in the temple. 

These Passover solemnities, which the Holy Family were 
engaged in celebrating, lasted seven days. During this time 
the Sacred Scriptures were read and explained to the people 
by those versed in the law. Solemn sacrifices were offered, 
and public prayers were recited in common. 

2. i\lARY AND Joseph Lose Jesus and Go in Search of Him 

The pilgrimage to Jerusalem undertaken by Joseph and 
Mary Avith their Child, was to bring them a great sorrow and 
much dreadful alarm; for they were to lose their beloved 
Jesus for the space of three days. St. Luke thus describes 
this event: "And having fullilled the days, when they re- 
turned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and His par- 
ents knew it not. And thinking that He was in the company, 
they came a day's journey, and sought Him among their kins- 
folk and acquaintance. And not finding Him, they returned 
into Jerusalem, seeking Him." 

It was usual, for those who had attended the festival of the 
Passover, on their return to their respective homes, to divide 
themselves into large parties; the men and women generally 
traveling in separate bands, while the children were permitted 
to remain with either division. Thus these two holy parents 
pursued their journej% each in his or her respective band, 
and had but little concern and no anxiety in regard to their 
dear Child. 

The day being over, and all the travelers having completed 
their arrangements for the first night's rest, how dreadfully 
alftrmecl must Joseph and Mary have been when, on meeting. 



JESUS VISITS THE TEMPLE 77 

they discovered, to their dismay, that the child Jesus was not 
in the company at all. They hurried from house to house 
and awoke the sleeping travelers, hoping to find their lost 
Child somewhere amongst them. But their search proving 
fruitless, they lost no time in retracing their steps, unat- 
tended, in the dead hour of the night, over the dark and 
dreary road back to Jerusalem. Reaching the city just at 
daybreak, they hurried through the streets, going from house 
to house of their kinsfolk and acquaintance, but all in vain. 
The second night and second day were equally sad, the morn- 
ing of the third day dawned and the disconsolate parents were 
still on their weary search. 

3. Jesus Amongst the Doctors in the Temple 

But where was the child Jesus during these three days? 
He was in the temple at Jerusalem. ' ' And it came to pass, ' ' 
says the holy evangelist St. Luke, "that after three days they 
found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, 
hearing them and asking them questions. And all that heard 
Him were astonished at His wisdom and His answers" {Luke 
ii. 46, 47). 

There was set apart in the temple of Jerusalem a special 
hall where the teachers of the law, the scribes and other 
learned men used to assemble for the reading of the books 
of the law and of the prophets, and for the explanation of 
them to the people. It was the privilege of any one present 
at these conferences to ask questions and to propose objections. 
It was in this hall that the child Jesus passed most of the 
time during which His grief-stricken parents were looking 
for Him. 

4. Mary and Joseph Find Him on the Third Day 

The parents of Jesus came near the temple. They had now 
been seeking the lost Youth for three weary days, and their 
grief and consternation knew no bounds. They entered the 
door of the temple. There is their own child Jesus, He who 
had always been so humble, so retiring, so slow to speak. He 
is now sitting in the very midst of the great and learned 
doctors, listening to them, questioning them, and even instruct- 
ing them, as if He were the most eminent teacher in Israel. 

As soon, however, as our divine Saviour was apprised of 
their presence He hastened to meet His astonished and grati- 
fied parents. The hour of His heavenly Father had elapsed; 



78 THE HOLY FAMILY AT NAZARETH 

the heavenly mission, as far as it was to extend for the pres- 
ent, was fulfilled, the Son of God had done what was His duty 
at the time, and now He again belongs, as Son of Man, in 
obedience and humility, to His earthly parents. Conceive 
and describe, if you can, the delight and satisfaction of Mary 
and Joseph. Even the holy evangelist himself feels that no 
human description could suffice, and hence he depicts the 
inexpressibly happy finding in the following simple language; 
"And seeing Him. they wondered. And His mother said to 
him: Son. why hast Thou done so to us? Behold Thy father 
and I have sought Thee sorrowing. And He said to them : 
How is this that you sought me? Did you not know that I 
must be about my Father's business? And they understood 
not the word that He spoke unto them" (Luke ii. 48, etc.). 

During her quiet and retired life in Nazareth, the blessed 
Virgin had come to regard Jesus as her child. True, she 
never forgot for a moment that He was also really and truly 
the Son of God. but she did not clearly understand how and 
when this Son of God would enter upon and discharge the 
duties of His mission. To-day our divine Saviour seeks to 
lead His blessed mother's thoughts from His human to His 
di\ine nature. The God-man must be about His Father's 
business, that is. He must be occupied in the service of truth, 
justice, and holiness, and wherever an opportunity occurs of 
leading separated humanity back to its heavenly Father, to 
the end for which it was created. Hence, Jesus said to His 
mother and foster-father: "Do you not know that I must be 
about My Father's business?" Truly, Mary comprehended, 
though not fully and perfectly, the mystery contained in the 
words of Her Son. But what she did understand pleased 
her. 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE HOLY FAMILY AT NAZARETH 

From His twelfth to His thirtieth year Jesus dwelt with 
Mary and Joseph in their humble home at Nazareth. Doubt- 
less there were many events in their outer lives, and innumer- 
able must have been the graces and wonders of their inner 
life ; for it could not long be concealed from their little circle 




Martin Feuerstein 



St. Joseph 



THE HOLY FAMILY AT NAZARETH 79 

of friends and neighbors that Jesus was a mysterious Child 
set for the redemption and for the fall of many. And yet St. 
Luke relates the whole history of these eighteen years in a 
few simple words: "He was subject to His parents;" "His 
mother kept all these words pondering them in her heart;" 
"and Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and grace with God 
and men." These few words give us a perfect and touching 
picture of the Holy Family. 

1. The Faithful Father 

"A faithful man shall be much praised, and he that is the 
keeper of his master shall be glorified." Thus sings the 
Church on St. Joseph's day. He was the head of the Holy 
Family. Mother and Son were entrusted to his care and pro- 
tection ; by the labor of his hand he was to clothe and feed 
them, guard them against want and danger, and shield them 
from evil and misfortune. A valuable treasure was placed in 
his charge, a priceless jewel entrusted to his keeping. How 
his heart must have throbbed with reverential love! How 
fervently he must have thanked God for being permitted to 
call Jesus and Mary his own ! How cheerfully did he devote 
every hour of that life to their welfare, by giving the sweat 
of his brow, the toil of his arm, the strength of his body, and 
the powers of his mind. The apostle Paul had not yet spoken, 
nor presented to the Christian house-father that great model, 
Jesus Christ, nor required of the faithful husband, that he 
should sacrifice himself for his wife and children, as Christ 
had sacrificed Himself for His spouse, the Church. St. Joseph 
discharged the duties of his state from the natural prompt- 
ings, so to speak, of his pure and noble heart, and he dis- 
charged them with perseverance and assiduity day after day 
for a long period of years. He knew that he had the Son of 
God under his roof, and yet he did not look to God for any 
worldly wealth, he did not murmur against Providence, he 
looked for no miracle in his own behalf, he did not wish to 
leave to the angels the duty of feeding their Lord and his. 
Oh no ; St. Joseph considered it an honor and a sacred privi- 
lege to be entrusted with this proud duty. While he depended 
upon God's protection and assistance, he applied his hands 
industriously to his work and gave his soul to prayer. Work 
and prayer, and both united in love. Such is the story of the 
every-day life in the happy home at Nazareth. And in order 
to discharge his duties toward his spouse and Child, as he9,d 



80 THE HOLY FAMILY AT NAZARKTH 

of the house, as representative of our Father in heaven, St. 
Joseph assumes the government, direction, and support of his 
little household. He commands, but not that his will, but 
the will of God, should be done. He governs his household, 
not according to his own whim and fancy, but in accordance 
with God's law. 

2. The Affectionate Mother 

The foster-father. St. Joseph, is the head of the Holy- 
Family, but Mary is the heart. And what do we find in this 
heart? St. Luke tells us: "Mary kept all these words ponder- 
ing them in her heart;" in that heart which, on a previous 
occasion, had poured itself out in the words: "My soul doth 
magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my 
Saviour." From her youth upward, first in the temple at 
Jerusalem and afterward in her (juiet home at Nazareth, 
Mary's heart abounded in charity, her mind was ever occu- 
pied with the divine words and promises, and her soul ever 
sighing for the coming of her Lord. But now, when her eyes 
are feasting day after day upon the beauteous person of the 
Word made flesh; when her ear is charmed with the sweet 
tones of His confiding voice; when the acts and omissions of 
Jesus form the constant subject of her wondering reflections ; 
now indeed does she keep every word of His, every incident 
and circumstance of His life, as a precious jewel in the casket 
of her heart. But this busy and grateful heart of Mary does 
not impede her in the discharge of her household duties, for 
Jesus occupies both her heart and her hands. 

3, The Obedient Son 

"And Jesus was subject to them." He who was the King 
of kings lived eighteen years in the simple cottage, under 
the lowly roof of the Carpenter of Nazareth. And He Him- 
self was a carpenter's Son, a willing and laborious helper of 
His aged foster-father and a thoughtful and untiring servant 
of His virgin-mother. Yes, Jesus was obedient for eighteen 
years in the solitude of a cottage in a mountain-village, and 
He has been obedient for nineteen centuries in the solitude of 
His tabernacle upon our altar." 



PART IV 

Jesus in His Sacred Office of Teacher 

I 

IMMEDIATE PREPARATION 

CHAPTER I 
ST. JOHN PREACHING PENANCE 

Matt. iii. 1-12; Mark i, 1-8; Luke iii. 1-20 

"In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Csesar, 
Pontius Pilate being governor of Juclea, and Herod being 
tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip, his brother, being tetrarch 
of Iturea and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tet- 
rarch of Abilina, under the high-priests Annas and Caiphas : 
the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of 
Zachary, in the desert. And he came into all the country 
about the Jordan, baptizing and preaching the baptism of 
penance for the remission of sins, and saying: Do penance, 
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. As it was written in 
the book of the sayings of Isaias the prophet : Behold I send 
my angel before thy face, who shall prepare the way before 
thee. A voice of one crying in the desert. Prepare ye the 
way of the Lord, make straight His paths. Every valley 
shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be brought 
low : and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough 
ways plain : and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 

"And the same John had his garment of camel's hair and 
a leathern girdle about his loins : and his meat was locusts and 
wild honey. And there went out to him all the country of 
Judea, and all they of Jerusalem, and all the country about 
the Jordan ; and were baptized by him in the river of Jordan, 
confessing their sins. 

' ' And seeing many of the Pharisees and Saddueees coming 
to his baptism, he said to them : Ye brood of vipers, who hath 
showed you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth 
therefore fruit worthy of penance. And think not to say 
within yourselves, We have Abraham for our father. For 

81 



82 ST. JOHN PREACHING PENANCE 

I tell yon that God is able of these stones to raise np children 
to Abraham. For now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. 
Every tree, therefore, that doth not yield good fruit, shall 
be cnt down and cast into the fire. 

"And the people asked him, saying: "What then shall we 
do? And he answering-, said to them: He that hath two 
coats let him give to him that hath none; and he that hath 
meat, let him do in like manner. And the publicans also 
came to be baptized and said to him : Master, what shall we 
do? But he said to them: Do nothing more than that which 
is appointed you. And the soldiers also asked him, saying: 
And what shall we do? And he said to them: Do violence 
to no man, neither calumniate any man; and be content with 
your pay. 

"And as the people was of opinion, and all were thinking 
in their hearts of John, tiiat perhaps he might be the Christ, 
John answered, saying unto all : I indeed baptize you with 
water unto penance; but there shall come one mightier than 
I, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to stoop down 
and loose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with 
fire. Whose fan is in His hand, and He will purge His fiooi-; 
and will gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff Uo 
will burn with unquenchable fire. And many other things 
exhorting did he preach to the people." 

Here, then, on the very threshold of our Saviour's public 
life we meet St. John the Baptist. Distinguished for his 
great simplicity of life and close union with God, he was 
deemed worthy by the eternal Father to be the precursor of 
His divine Son. 

From early youth he had dwelt in the solitude of the 
desert "until the day of his manifestation to Israel." 

When thirty years old he made his appearance on the banks 
of the river Jordan. All were astonished ; for, not having 
been previously seen or heard of, and his origin and birth- 
place being unknown, his coming was like the apparition of a 
spirit from heaven. But the prophet Malachy's M^ords were 
fulfilled: "Behold I send ]\ry angel, and he shall prepare the 
way before My face" {Mai. iii. 1). John prepared the way 
for Christ's coming, and discharged his duties as precursor 
in a threefold manner : by preaching penance, by his baptism, 
and by the testimony which he bore to Jesus of Nazareth, 
as the promised Messias who had now really and truly come 
upon earth, 



ST. JOHN PREACHING PENANCE 83 

1. Exhortations to Penance 

"What is penance? It is contrite acknowledgment of our 
sins, a willingness as far as we are able to abandon them, and 
an humble yearning for that Mediator in whom and through 
whom alone such an abandonment is possible. Without such 
a repentance, the redemption of mankind would not have 
been possible. Heaven could not relent until earth, conscious 
of its awful guilt, should sign for the mediation of its Re- 
deemer. Hence God had, during 4000 years, been awakening 
mankind to this acknowledgment, and inciting him to this 
expectation and desire. Now, in the fullness of time. He sends 
the greatest of all the prophets, John the Baptist, who, unit- 
ing the exhortations, warnings, and threats of all previous 
prophets in one grand warning and threat of wrath to come, 
completes their work and makes men ripe for salvation. 
Sadducees and Pharisees came out to the Jordan to hear this 
mysterious preacher. Preventing grace had enabled the 
"brood of vipers" to find through John the way to salvation, 
that is, to Christ. And the Baptist earnestly warns them to 
co-operate faithfully with this preventing grace by repent- 
ance, and not to depend upon being of the race of Abraham. 

St. John, while preaching penance in stirring and forcible 
language, preaches it much more forcibly by the example of 
his own penitential life. His dwelling is a bleak cavern, his 
garments the skins of wild beasts, his food locusts and wild 
honey, his drink the water of the river Jordan. His occupa- 
tion by day is to preach penance to men, his occupation at 
night is prayer and watching. 

2. "John's Baptism" 

As an outward manifestation of interior penance, St. John 
added the ceremony of baptism. As a man, in washing his 
person, makes the double admission, first, that he is soiled, and 
second, that he desires to be cleansed, so each individual bap- 
tized in the Jordan confessed thereby that he stood in need 
of inward cleansing from the stain of sin, and that he ardently 
desired his soul to be thus purified by the saving power of 
Christ's grace, just as he would wish his body to be cleansed 
by the waters of baptism. And this is the deep meaning of 
John's baptism. It is a confession of guilt and at the same 
time the expression of an interior longing after purity and 
salvation. It was, therefore, a very seasonable and effectual 



84 THE BAPTISM OP JESUS CHRIST 

preparation for Christ, and yet only a preparation. For 
baptism in Christ could free the repentant sinner from sin, 
because in this baptism the soul participates in the redeeming 
blood of Christ. John's baptism, on the contrary, was only 
a figure, while Christ baptized in fire and the Holy Ghost, 
that is, by that Spirit which came down in fiery tongues upon 
the apostles; with that divine Spirit which enlightens the 
understanding and inflames the heart; with that Spirit which 
purifies the human soul from sinful stain, as the fire purifies 
the metal from dross. Of this baptism by and in the Holy 
Ghost was St. John's baptism the immediate symbol and 
preparation. 



CHAPTER II 
THE BAPTISM OF JESUS CHRIST 

Matt. iii. 13-17; Mark i. 9-11; Luke iii. 21-23 

Before introducing Himself as the Messias, Christ wished 
to present Himself as the representative of fallen man, and 
as the Lamb of sacrifice bearing our sins. He effected this 
design by humbling Himself, and, like a sinner, subjecting 
Himself to the baptism of St. John. 

' ' Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan unto John, 
to be baptized by him. But John stayed Him saying : I 
ought to be baptized by Thee, and comest Thou to me ? And 
Jesus, answering, said to him : Suffer it to be so now. For 
so it becometh us to fulfill all justice. Then He suffered Him. 
And Jesus being baptized, forthwith came out of the water : 
and lo, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the 
Spirit of God descending as a dove and coming upon Him. 
And behold a voice from heaven, saying : This is My beloved 
Son in whom I am well pleased. And Jesus Himself was 
beginning about the age of thirty years: being (as it was 
supposed) the son of Joseph." 

Having taken leave of His beloved mother Mary, of His 
saintly foster-father St. Joseph, and of the humble home in 
Nazareth, Jesus set out toward Galilee to enter upon His pub- 
lic ministry. Finally He arrives on the banks of the Jordan, 
where John was then baptizing. The Baptist threw himself 
at the feet of Christ, when, for the first time, he looked upon 



THE FORTY DAYS FAST IN THE DESERT 85 

the divine countenance, and by a revelation from heaven, 
recognized Him as his Saviour. How overwhelmed with con- 
fusion he must have been, to see Jesus humble Himself before 
him and asking to be baptized, like any sinner ! But Jesus 
knew well what He was doing. In the first place. He wanted to 
show us that virtue and sanctity must begin with humility, 
that is, with a lowering of one 's self ; in the second place, that 
the sacrament of baptism is the opening to God's kingdom on 
earth ; in the third place, that He had really and truly taken 
the place of sinful and help-needing man, and would begin 
the work of atonement by assuming His guilt. By His bap- 
tism in Jordan 's waters He wanted to consecrate and sanction, 
in a specially marked manner, the baptism of the new law. 
And, as toward the close of His life on earth, at the last 
supper, He made use of the figure of the old law to estab- 
lish the thing itself, that is, the paschal feast to ordain the 
Blessed Eucharist; so now did He wish at the beginning of 
His public life to practically use the figurative baptism in 
order to ordain the sacramental baptism of the new law. The 
wondrous manifestation that took place at Christ's baptism 
is a true and striking picture of redeeming grace. He hum- 
bled Himself and was instantly exalted. So every man who 
follows His example and humbles himself in Christ, the same 
shall be in Christ exalted. The outward act of baptism was 
administered unto Christ, and at the same moment the heavens 
opened above Him. So does heaven open over every man at 
the moment he worthily receives the outward sign of a holy 
sacrament, whilst an invisible, supernatural grace overflows 
his soul meanwhile. Until then heaven was shut. 



CHAPTER III 



THE FORTY DAYS FAST IN THE DESERT. THE 
TEMPTATION 

Matt. iv. 1-11; Mark i. 12, 13; Luke iv. 1-13 

"And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from 
the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the desert, to be 
tempted by the devil. And He was with the beasts, and He 
ate nothing. And when He had fasted forty days and forty 
nights, afterward He was hungry. And the tempter coming 



86 THE FORTY DAYS FAST IN THE DESERT 

said to Him : If Thou be the Son of God, command that these 
stones be made bread. Who answered and said : It is written, 
Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that 
proeeedeth from the mouth of God. Then the devil took Him 
up into the holy city, and set Him upon the pinnacle of the 
temple, and said to Him: If thou be the Son of God, cast 
Thyself down, for it is written: That He hath given His 
angels charge over Thee, that they keep Thee, and in their 
hands shall He bear Thee up, lest perhaps Thou dash Thy 
foot against a stone. Jesus said to him : It is written again : 
Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 

"Again the devil led Him into a very high mountain and 
showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of 
time and the glory of them; and he said to Him: To Thee 
will I give all this power and the glory of them, for to me 
they are delivered, and to whom I will, I give them. If thou, 
therefore, wilt adore me, all shall be thine. And Jesus an- 
swering, said to him : It is ivritten the Lord thy God shalt 
thou adore, and Him only shalt thou serve. And all the temp- 
tation being ended, the devil departed from Him for a time. 
And behold angels came and ministered to Him." 

Our blessed Lord's withdrawal into the solitude of the 
desert ought to teach us that we, too, when about to take any 
important step in life, or to assume any serious duty, should, 
as far as may be in our power, withdraw from the distractions 
of the world, and in silent retirement and prayer seriously 
prepare ourselves therefor. This has always been the practice 
of the best and holiest of men. During forty years, Moses 
prepared himself in the desert to become the saviour of his 
nation, and again for forty days in the wilds of Mount Sinai 
for the proper reception of the divine law, as given in the 
ten commandments. The Jews were detained in the desert 
for forty years that they might be suitably trained and dis- 
ciplined to become the chosen people of God. Elias, too, 
remained in retirement for forty days to make himself worthy 
to receive the revelations from heaven. So our divine 
Saviour was pleased to pass forty days in the desert as a 
preparation for His apostolic mission. 

But for what purpose did our blessed Lord permit the devil 
to approach His sacred person and present this three-fold 
temptation ? The answer to this question shows us the tender 
love of our Saviour toward men, and awakens within our own 
bosoms the liveliest sentiments of gratitude and affection. In 




Martin Feuerstein c^ ii\ii_'lit Nv Benziger Brothers 

The Baptism of Our Lord 



THE TESTIMONY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST 87 

the first place, He wishes, as the representative of sinful man, 
to become like to ourselves, taking upon Himself all our 
misery and woe, all our spiritual and bodily distempers. 
Secondly, He wishes to show us by His example how we may 
quietly, fearlessly, and resolutely, by God's grace, withstand 
the assaults of the devil, repel his attacks, and come off vic- 
toriously. Thirdly, Christ is the new Adam, and He wanted 
to offset by a glorious triumph the disastrous conflict between 
our first parents and the serpent-devil in paradise ; to com- 
pensate for the first defeat by a splendid victory, and to break 
forever the power of the tempter. 



CHAPTER IV 



THE TESTIMONY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST-THE 
FIRST DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST 

John i. 19-51 

1. St. John Gives Testimony of Himself and of Jesus 

"And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent 
from Jerusalem priests and levites to him, to ask him. Who 
art thou? And he confessed and did not deny, and he con- 
fessed : I am not the Christ. And they asked him : What 
then ? Art thou Elias ? And he said : I am not. Art thou 
the prophet ? And he answered : No. They said therefore 
unto him: Who art thou, that we may give an answer to 
them that sent us? What sayest thou of thyself? He said: 
I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight 
the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias. 

"And they that were sent were of the Pharisees. And they 
asked him and said to him : Why then dost thou baptize, if 
thou be not Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? John an- 
swered them, saying: I baptize with water; but there hath 
stood one in the midst of you, whom you know not. The 
same is He that shall come after me, who is preferred before 
me: the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose. 

"These things were done in Bethania beyond the Jordan 
where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus 



88 THE TESTIMONY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST 

coming xo him. and he said : Behold the Lamb of God, behold 
Him who taketh away the sin of the world ! This is He of 
whom I said : After me, there cometh a man who is preferred 
before me: because He was before me. And I knew Him not, 
but that He may be made manifest in Israel, therefore am 
I come baptizing with water. And John gave testimony, 
saying : I saw the Spirit coming down as a dove from heaven, 
and He remained upon Him. And I knew Him not: but He 
who sent me to baptize with water, said to me : He upon 
whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining 
upon Him, He it is that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And 
I saw, and I gave testimony that this is the Son of God." 

In his deep humility St. John calls himself the "voice of 
one crying in the wilderness," although he had a just right 
to the title of prophet ; for Christ styles him a prophet and 
more than a prophet. He might, with justice, have pro- 
claimed himself Elias, for Christ so designated him ; and at 
his birth an angel had foretold he would go before Christ with 
the spirit and might of that prophet. He calls himself a 
voice, a passing breath ; while he glorifies and exalts the 
^lessias, declaring Him. in the deeply significant and con- 
soling words, "who taketh upon Himself the sin of the world," 
to be the promised Saviour of the world. 

2. Andrew and Simon Peter, Philip and Nathaniel Come 

TO Jesus 

"The next day again John stood and two of his disciples. 
And beholding Jesus walking he saith : Behold the Lamb of 
God. And the two disciples heard Him speak, and they fol- 
lowed Jesus. And Jesus turning, and seeing them following 
Him, saith to them: What seek you? Who said to Him: 
Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted. Master) where 
dwellest thou ? He saith to them : Come and see. They came, 
and saw where He abode, and they stayed with Him that day : 
now it was about the tenth hour. And Andrew the brother 
of Simon Peter was one of the two who had heard of John, 
and followed him. He findeth first his brother Simon, and 
saith to him: We have found the Messias (which is, being 
interpreted, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. 
And Jesus looking upon him, said : Thou art Simon, the son 
of Jona; thou shalt be called Cephas; which is interpreted, 
Peter. On the following day he would go forth into Galilee, 



JESUS AT THE WEDDING-FESTIVAL 89 

and He findeth Philip. And Jesus saith to him : Follow me. 
Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 
Philip findeth Nathanael and saith to him: We have found 
Him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, 
Jesus, the son of Joseph of Nazareth. And Nathanael said 
to him : Can anything of good come from Nazareth ? Philip 
saith to him : Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to 
Him, and He saith of him : Behold an Israelite indeed, in 
whom there is no guile. Nathanael saith to Him : Whence 
knowest thou me ? Jesus answered and said to him : Before 
that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig-tree, 
I saw thee. Nathanael answered Him, and said : Rabbi, thou 
art the Son of God, thou art the king of Israel. Jesus 
answered, and said to him : Because I said unto thee : I saw 
thee under the fig-tree, thou believest : greater things than 
these shalt thou see. And he saith to him: Amen, amen I 
say to you, you shall see the heaven opened, and the Angels 
of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." 

Among the many disciples who had gathered about St. 
John the Baptist, these five who were the first to unite them- 
selves with Jesus Christ, deserve our attention. They were 
Andrew, John, Simon, whom our Lord surnamed Peter or 
Rock, Philip, and Nathanael. The last, in the opinion of the 
learned writers of the Church, was afterward raised to the 
apostleship under the name of Bartholomew. 



CHAPTER V 



JESUS AT THE WEDDING-FESTIVAL IN CANA OF 

GALILEE 

John ii. 1-12 

On the third day after our Lord had left Bethania for 
Galilee, "there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee: and the 
mother of Jesus was there. And Jesus also was invited, and 
His disciples, to the marriage. And the wine failing, the 
mother of Jesus saith to Him : They have no wine. And 
Jesus saith to her: Woman, what is it to Me and to thee? 



90 JESUS AT THE WEDDING-FESTIVAL 

My hour is not yet come. His mother saith to the waiters: 
Whatsoever He shall say to you, do ye. Now there were set 
there six waterpots of stone, according: to the manner of the 
purifying of the Jews, containing two or three measures 
apiece. Jesus saith to them : Fill the waterpots with water. 
And they filled them up to the brim. And Jesus saith to 
them : Draw out now, and carry to the chief-steward of the 
feast, and they carried it. And when the chief-steward had 
tasted the water made wine, and knew not whence it was, but 
the waiters knew, who had drawn the water, the chief-steward 
calleth the bridegroom, and saith to liim : Every man at first 
setteth forth good wine, and when men have well drunk, then 
that which is worse. But thou hast kept the good wine until 
now. 

"This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee: 
and manifested His glory, and Ilis disciples believed in Him. 
After this He went down to Capliarnaum, He and His mother, 
and His brethren and His disciples; and they remained there 
not many days." 

At first sight, the conduct of Jesus toward His mother 
seems harsh and unkind. "Woman, what is it to Me and to 
thee?" Are not these words unkind, coming from the lips 
of one who had hitherto treated His mother with the tender- 
est and most respectful consideration? But let us properly 
understand the true sense and meaning of these words. To 
perform a miracle is essentially the province of the Son of 
God, not of the Son of Man ; that is, Christ effected the 
miracle by virtue of His divine nature and not by that of 
His human nature. He acted as God. Therefore, He ad- 
dresses His mother, not as a son to a mother, but as God to 
His creature — to a woman, whom, at the same time. He 
teaches that, if He perform the miracle sought for. He will do 
so, not as her son, but as her God. Yet, almost at the same 
moment that this lesson is given to His mother, her gentle 
request is granted. Mary knew this would be the case, and 
confidently directed the servants: "Whatsoever He shall say 
to you, do ye." 

The holy evangelist St. John concludes his account of this 
miracle at Cana with the words: "This beginning of miracles 
did Jesus in Cana of Galilee," hence there were other miracles 
performed subsequently; "and manifested His glory." This 
was the motive of the miracle ; ' ' and His disciples believed in 
Him ; ' ' here we see the utility of the miracle. 



IN CANA OF GALILEE 91 

Who can tell the number of Christ's miracles? He wrought 
them in the spirit-world, in the heavenly bodies, in men, and 
in the senseless beasts of the fields. He summoned angels to 
wait upon Him, expelled devils, darkened the sun, stayed the 
storm, calmed the angry billow, changed water into wine, 
healed the sick, converted sinners, rent the rocks, opened the 
grave, and called the dead to life. 

What was Jesus' motive in performing these astounding 
miracles ? They ' ' manifested His glory ' ' and showed Him to 
be the Son of God. For, what is a miracle ? A miracle is an 
effect exceeding the simple and ordinary powers of nature, 
and which, therefore, cannot be caused by any creature^ 
whether man, angel, or devil, of his own individual power. 
It is an act of divine omnipotence. The prophets of the old 
law, it is true, performed miracles, not indeed by their own 
individual power, but, as they always humbly admitted, by 
the power of God. Christ wrought His miracles by virtue of 
His own divine inherent strength, as He assures us in His 
own words : ' ' For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and 
giveth life: so the Son also giveth life to whom He will" 
{John V. 21). Every miracle, therefore, is a manifestation 
of divine glory and power, and an undeniable, because divine, 
testimony to the veracity of Him who performs it, and a proof 
of the truth of His teachings. 

Because Jesus did these miracles before His disciples, ' * they 
believed in Him." Here we have the utility of miracles, 
namely, to confirm in our hearts a belief in Christ. How 
could the doctrines of Christianity, presenting as they do 
impenetrable mysteries to the enfeebled intellect, and waging 
a bitter war against human passions, have fought their way 
to the acceptance of men, had they not been confirmed before 
the eyes of the world by the undoubted miracles of the 
Teacher? As St. Augustine happily remarks: "This accept- 
ance of Christ's teachings by men who are wedded to un- 
belief, error, and vice, is the greatest miracle of all. 



II 

HISTOEY OF JESUS, FROM THE FIRST PASSOVER 

AFTER HIS BAPTISM IN THE JORDAN 

TO HIS SECOND PASSOVER 



CHAPTER VI 

JESUS AT THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER IN 

JERUSALEM-HE DRIVES THE BUYERS AND 

SELLERS OUT OF THE TEMPLE, ETC. 

Matt. xiv. 3-5; Mark vi. 17-20; Luke iii. 19, 20; John ii. 13-15; i. 36 

1. Jesus Expels the Dealers from the Temple 

Unlawful and unholy practices among the Jews always 
met with stern rebuke and condemnation from Christ. "And 
the Pasch of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to 
Jerusalem: And He found in the temple them that sold oxen 
and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting. 
And when He had made as it were a scourge of little cords, 
He drove them all out of the temple, the sheep also and the 
oxen, and the money of the changers He poured out and the 
tables He overthrew. And to them that sold doves, He said: 
Take these things hence, and make not the house of My Father 
a house of traffic. And His disciples remembered that it was 
written : The zeal of Thy house hath eaten Me up. ' ' 

2. He Foretells His Death and Resurrection. The 
Prophecies of Jesus 

"The Jews therefore answered and said to Him: What 
sign dost thou show unto us, seeing thou dost these things. 
Jesus answered and said to them: Destroy this temple, and 
in three days I will raise it up. The Jews then said: Six 
and forty years was this temple in building, and wilt Thou 
raise it up in three days? But He spoke of the temple of 
His body. When therefore He was risen again from the dead, 
His disciples remembered, that He had said this, and they 
believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had said. 
Now when He was at Jerusalem at the Pasch, upon the fes- 
tival-day, many believed in His name, seeing His signs, which 
He did. But Jesus did not trust Himself unto them, for 
that He knew all men. And because He needed not that any 

92 



OF THE PASSOVER IN JERUSALEM 93 

should give testimony of man : for He knew what was in 
man. ' ' 

As Christ Himself hints, the above words concerning the 
destruction and rebuilding of the temple, are a prediction of 
His own death and of His resurrection on the third day. 
During the three years of His ministry He uttered several 
such prophecies. He foretold the circumstances of His 
death, the denial of Peter, the treachery of Judas, the suffer- 
ings of the apostles, Peter's crucifixion, the future history 
of the Church, and the destruction of Jerusalem; in all of 
which events His predictions were verified to the letter. They 
are, therefore, like His miracles, a shining confirmation of 
His teachings ; for, as the miracles are a manifestation of His 
omnipotence, His prophecies are a manifestation of His omni- 
science. 

3. Jesus and Nicodemus 

*'And there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, 
a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and 
said to Him : Rabbi, we know that thou art come a teacher 
from God, for no man can do these signs which thou dost, 
unless God be with him. Jesus answered, and said to him: 
Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again, he 
cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith to Him: 
How can a man be born when he is old ? can he enter a second 
time into his mother's womb, and be born again? Jesus 
answered : Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born 
again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the 
kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh : and 
that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit. Wonder not that 
I said to thee : you must be born again. The Spirit breatheth 
where he will : and thou hearest his voice, but thou knowest 
not whence he cometh or whither he goeth, so is every one 
that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered, and said to 
Him: How can these things be done? Jesus answered, and 
said to him: Art thou a master in Israel, and knowest not 
these things ? Amen, amen I say to thee, that we speak what 
we know, and we testify what we have seen, and you receive 
not our testimony. If I have spoken to you earthly things, 
and you believe me not : how will you believe if I shall speak 
to you heavenly things? And no man hath ascended into 
heaven, but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man 
who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the 



94 JESUS AT THE FEAST 

desert ; so must the Son of man be lifted up : That whosoever 
believeth in Him may not perish, but may have life everlast- 
ing. For God so loved the world, as to give His only be- 
gotten Son : that whosoever believeth in Him, may not perish, 
but may have life everlasting. For God sent not His Son 
into the world, to judge the world, but that the world may 
be saved by Him. He that believeth in Him is not judged: 
but He that doth not believe, is already judged : because He 
believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 
And this is the judgment : because the light is come into the 
world, and men loved darkness rather than the light: for 
their works were evil. For every one that doth evil hateth 
the light, and cometh not to the light, that his works may not 
be reproved : But he that doth truth cometh to the light, that 
his works may be made manifest, because they are done in 
God." 

The learned Nicodemus thirsted for information, and yet 
he sought at the lips of Jesus only human knowledge; for he 
looked upon Him simply as a distinguished and clever teacher 
of novel doctrines. But Jesus showed him that in the new 
kingdom of God upon earth, knowledge is not to be the chief 
requisite, but rather the complete regeneration of man in 
Christ— the transformation and elevation of the mere natural 
man into a supernatural being, by the merits of Christ im- 
parted in the sacrament of baptism. Nicodemus hears the 
words, but does not fully comprehend the depth of their 
meaning. Still he accepts them with docility, treasures them 
up in his soul, and after leaving Christ, meditates upon them 
more and more seriously, till little by little their import be- 
comes more clear, and faith, hope, and charity begin to take 
root in his soul. St. John the Evangelist beautifully portrays 
to us the progress in spirituality made by this honest man 
who, but two years later, at the feast of the tabernacles, when 
the priests and the Pharisees wished to condemn Jesus, became 
His defender, and in presence of the whole council demanded 
whether the law condemned a man without being heard, and 
before it was known who he was and wherein he had trans- 
gressed. Although this was but an imperfect and timid ad- 
vance toward the defence of Christ, Nicodemus was never- 
theless rewarded by God. From this hour his faith became 
stronger, so that after the death of Jesus he threw aside all 
hesitation, and by his public and voluntary assistance at the 
burial of Christ, gave a touching and bold testimony in behalf 




Our Lord's First Miracle, at the AVedding-Feast at Cana 



OF THE PASSOVER IN JERUSALEM 95 

of the Redeemer. The Church has placed him among her 
saints; for tradition tells us that the Pharisees and Jewish 
priests condemned him as a follower of the Crucified, dis- 
missed him from the council, pronounced sentence of banish- 
ment upon him, and expelled him from Jerusalem. 

4. Reiterated Testimony of John in Favor op Jesus 

"After these things, Jesus and His disciples came into the 
land of Judea :^ and there He abode with them and baptized. 
And John also was baptizing in Ennon near Salim: because 
there was much water there, and they came and were baptized. 
For John was not yet cast into prison. And there arose a 
question between some of John's disciples and the Jews con- 
cerning purification : And they came to John and said to 
him: Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond the Jordan, to 
whom thou gavest testimony, behold He baptizeth and all men 
come to Him. John answered, and said : A man cannot re- 
ceive anything, unless it be given him from heaven. You 
yourselves do bear me witness, that I said I am not Christ: 
but that I am sent before Him. He that hath the bride is 
the bridegroom : but the friend of the bridegroom who stand- 
eth and heareth him, rejoiceth with joy because of the bride- 
groom's voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must 
increase but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is 
above all. He that is of the earth, of the earth he is, and of 
the earth he speaketh. He that cometh from heaven is above 
all. And what He hath seen, and heard, that He testifieth : 
and no man receiveth His testimony. He that hath received 
His testimony, hath set to his seal that God is true. For He 
whom God hath sent, speaketh the words of God : for God doth 
not give the spirit by measure. The Father loveth the Son: 
and He hath given all things into His hand. He that be- 
lieveth in the Son, hath life everlasting : but he that believeth 
not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth 
on him. ' ' 

St. John, filled with the Spirit of God, sees in spirit the 
whole work of Christ. He beholds mankind, so long estranged 
from its God, united to Him once more by Christ in the closest 
and most sacred relations ; he sees the world in harmony with 
heaven, the creature reconciled with its Creator, He himself 
is but the friend who leads the bride to the bridegroom, or 

^That is, from the city of Jerusalem into the surrounding country. 



96 JESUS AND THE SAMARITAN WOMAN 

who prepares mankind for its Saviour. His duties being over 
when the bridegroom has come, he steps humblj' aside, and is 
not troubled when his jealous disciples complain that many 
come to Jesus to be baptized. He stands before us a perfect 
model of that charming humility, which, knowing its proper 
place and field of duty, is neither envious nor jealous. 

5. Imprisonment of John 

"But Herod the tetrarch, when he was reproved by John 
on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and of all 
the evil things which Herod did, also added this to all the 
rest, that he sent and apprehended John and bound him and 
put him into prison. For John said to Herod : It is not law- 
ful for thee to have thy brother's Avife. Now Herodias laid 
snares for him and was desirous to put him to death. And 
when Herod would have put him to death, he feared the 
people, because they esteemed him as a prophet, and he feared 
John, Icnowing him to be a holy and a just man: and he kept 
him, and having heard him, did many things and gave ear to 
him willingly." 

AYhilst John, a poor, defenceless captive in chains, bravely 
rebuked the royal adulterer, Herod, telling him that it is not 
allowed even to him to transgress the law, the latter, although 
a mighty king, fears and trembles. He is afraid of Herodias, 
he fears the people, fears the Baptist himself. How explain 
this contrast? John feels strong in the Lord his God, and in 
the calm consciousness of duties faithfully discharged. 
Herod quails before the reproaches of his own guilty eon- 
science. 



CHAPTER VII 



JESUS AND THE SAMARITAN WOMAN AT JACOB'S 

WELL 

John iv. 1-42 

"When Jesus therefore understood that the Pharisees had 
heard that Jesus maketh more disciples and baptizeth more 
than John (though Jesus himself did not baptize, but his 
disciples) He left Judea, and went again into Galilee; and He 



AT JACOB'S WELL 97 

was of necessity to pass through Samaria. He cometh, there- 
fore,, to a city of Samaria which is called Sichar : near the 
land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well 
was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied with His journey, 
sat thus on the well. It was about the sixth hour. There 
cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus saith to 
her : Give me to drink. For His disciples were gone into the 
city to buy meats. Then that Samaritan woman saith to Him : 
How dost thou, being a Jew, ask of me to drink, who am a 
Samaritan woman? For the Jews do not communicate with 
the Samaritans. Jesus answered, and said to her: If thou 
didst know the gift of God, and who He is that saith to thee, 
Give Me to drink: thou perhaps wouldst have asked of Him 
and He would have given thee living water. The woman saith 
to Him : Sir, thou hast nothing wherein to draw, and the well 
is deep ? from whence then hast thou living water ? Art thou 
greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and 
drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 
Jesus answered, and said to her: Whosoever drinketh of this 
water, shall thirst again : but he that shall drink of the water 
that I will give him, shall not thirst for ever : But the water 
that I will give him shall become in him a fountain of water 
springing up into life everlasting. The woman saith to him: 
Sir, give me this water that I may not thirst : nor come hither 
to draw. Jesus saith to her : Go, call thy husband and come 
hither. The woman answered and said : I have no husband. 
Jesus said to her : Thou hast said well, I have no husband : 
For thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast, 
is not thy husband: this thou hast said truly. The woman 
saith to Him: Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our 
fathers adored on this mountain, and you say, that at Jerusa- 
lem is the place where men must adore. Jesus saith to her: 
Woman, believe Me, that the hour cometh, when you shall 
neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem adore the Father. 
You adore that which you know not: we adore that which we 
know, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and 
now is, when the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit 
and in truth. For the Father also seeketh such to adore Him. 
God is a spirit : and they that adore Him, must adore Him in 
spirit and in truth. The woman saith to Him : I know that 
the Messias cometh (who is called Christ) ; therefore when 
He is come, He will tell us all things. Jesus saith to her : I 
am He, who am speaking with thee." 



98 JESUS AND THE SAMARITAN WOMAN 

Kardly had Jesus proved Himself to be a prophet by tell- 
ing her the secret of her heart, when she turns her mind to 
serving God and saving her soul. She utters not a syllable 
to exculpate herself from the charges with which she is re- 
proached. Hence she is endowed with such grace, and re- 
ceives such glorious revelations from the lips of the divine 
Teacher. 

"And immediately His disciples came: and they wondered 
that He talked with the woman. Yet no man said : What 
seekest thou, or why talkest thou with her? The woman 
therefore left her Avaterpot, and went her Avay into the city, 
and saith to the men there : Come, and see a man who has 
told me all things whatsoever I have done: Is not He the 
Christ? They Avent therefore out of the city and came unto 
Him. In the mean time the disciples prayed Him, saying: 
Rabbi, eat. But He said to them : I have meat to eat which 
you know not. The disciples therefore said one to another: 
Hath any man brought Him to eat? Jesus saith to them: 
]\Iy meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, that I may 
perfect His work. Do not you say, there are yet four months, 
and then the harvest cometh ? Behold I say to you : Lift up 
your eyes and see the countries, for they are white already 
to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages and gather- 
eth fruit unto life everlasting: that both he that soweth, and 
he that reapeth may rejoice together. For in this is the say- 
ing true : that it is one man that soweth, and it is another that 
reapeth. I have sent you to reap that in which you did not 
labor: others have labored, and you have entered into their 
labors. Now of that city many of the Samaritans believed in 
Him, for the word of the woman giving testimony: He told 
me all things whatsoever I have done. So when the Samari- 
tans were come to Him, they desired Him that He would tarry 
there. And He abode there two days. And many more be- 
lieved in Him because of His own Avord. And they said to 
the AA'oman: We noAv believe, not for thy saying: for we 
ourselves have heard Him, and know that this is indeed the 
SaAaour of the AA'orld." 

Consider hoAv these despised, rejected, semi-pagan Sa- 
maritans are called to salvation in Christ. See how a sinful 
Avoman is made Avorthy to be one of the first to hear from 
the Redeemer's oaa'u lips the mysteries of God's kingdom. 
Here Ave recognize in Jesus, the faithful shepherd who had 
come to find AA^hat Avas lost ; the merciful Saviour come to seek 



THE FIRST SERMON OF JESUS 99 

sinners ; the loving Mediator holding forth His arms to receive 
and forgive us. Two short days sufficed to establish so firm a 
faith in the hearts of the Samaritans, that they acknowledged 
Christ to be the Messias and the Saviour of the world. The 
heart of Jesus is filled with joy, as He foretells to His dis- 
ciples the abundant harvests among the heathens, amid whom 
they will one day be called to labor, and to reap the fruit of 
the mysterious seed which He will sow by virtue of His saving 
blood, shed upon the cross. With delight He foresees how the 
temple of Sion will expand, miraculously extending itself into 
one vast spiritual edifice, whose glorious vaults will give 
shelter to all nations, forming a spiritual temple where Jews 
and Gentiles will be united in Christ under the same law of 
grace and truth. 



CHAPTER VIII 



THE FIRST SERMON OF JESUS. HE HEALS THE 

CENTURION'S SON. REPEATS HIS CALLING 

OF PETER, ANDREW, AND JACOB. 

MIRACULOUS CURES 

Matt. iv. 12-25; viii. 14-17; Mark i. 14-39; Luke iv. 14-44; John iv. 43-54 

1. Jesus in the Synagogue at Nazareth 

' ' Now after two days, when Jesus had heard that John was 
delivered up, He came and returned in the power of the Spirit 
into Galilee. And when He was come into Galilee, the Gali- 
leans received Him, having seen all the things that He had 
done in Jerusalem on the festival-day, for they also went to 
the festival-day. From that time Jesus began to preach the 
gospel of the Idngdom of God, and to say: The time is ac- 
complished and the kingdom of God is at hand : do penance, 
and believe the gospel. And the fame of Him went out 
through the whole country, and He taught in their syna- 
gogues and was magnified by all. And He came to Nazareth, 
where He was brought up : and He went into the synagogue 
according to His custom on the Sabbath day, and He rose up 
to read. And the book of Isaias the prophet was delivered 
unto Him. And as He unfolded the book, He found the place 
where it was written : The Spirit of the Lord is upon me : 



100 THE FIRST SERMON OF JESUS 

wherefore He hath anointed me, to preach the gospel to the 
poor He hath sent me, to heal the contrite of heart, to preach 
deliverance to the captives, and sight to the blind, to set at 
liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year 
of the Lord, and the day of reward. And when He had folded 
the book. He restored it to the minister and sat down. And 
the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He 
began to say to them: This day is fulfilled this scripture in 
your ears. And all gave testimony to Ilim : and they won- 
dered at the words of grace that proceedeth from His mouth, 
and they said: Is not this the son of Joseph? And He said 
to them : Doubtless you will say to Me this similitude : Phy- 
sician, heal thyself : as great things as we have heard done in 
Capharnaum, do also here in thy own country. And He 
said : Amen I say to you, that no prophet is accepted in his 
own country. In truth I say to you. there were many widows 
in the days of Elias in Israel, when heaven was shut up three 
years and six months : when thei'e was a great famine 
throughout all the earth: and to none of them w^as Elias sent, 
but to Sarepta of Sidon, to a widow woman. And there were 
many lepers in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet : and 
none of them was cleansed but Naaman the Syrian. And all 
they in the synagogue, hearing these things, were filled with 
anger. And they rose up and thrust him out of the city: 
and they brought him to the brow of the hill, whereon their 
city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But 
he passing through the midst of them, went his way. ' ' 

There were two causes for this malicious and unkind be- 
haviour of the Nazarenes toward the Son of man. First, their 
worldly notions of the Messias, w^hora they had hoped to 
find a mighty king, surrounded with pomp and glory, would 
not permit them to recognize Him in a poor carpenter's son; 
this miserable and dangerous delusion was common to most 
of the people of Israel. In the second place, the Nazarenes 
were jealous of their own fellow-citizen, and wanted to strip 
Him of the honor and distinguished reputation which He had 
acquired in other places. 

2. He Sojourns at Capharnaum 

"And leaving the city Nazareth, He came and dwelt in 
Capharnaum on the sea-coast, in the borders of Zabulon and 
of Nephthalim; that it might be fulfilled which was said by 



CHRIST HEALS THE CENTURION'S SON 101 

Isaias the prophet : Land of Zabulon and land of Nephthalim, 
the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, 
the people that sat in darkness hath seen great light: and to 
them that sat in the region of the shadow of death, light is 
sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to 
say : Do penance : for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ' ' 
Capharnaum, the chief theater of our dear Lord's active 
ministry, was the largest, wealthiest, and most flourishing 
town in Galilee. It was situated on the sea of Galilee, at the 
mouth of the river Jordan. This section of the country was 
called Upper Galilee, or the Galilee of the heathens; for it 
bordered on Phoenicia and was the home of many pagans. 
Nazareth was situated in Lower Galilee. 

The Ruler's Son 

"He came again therefore into Cana of Galilee, where He 
made the water wine. And there was a certain ruler whose 
son was sick at Capharnaum. He having heard that Jesus 
was come from Judea into Galilee, went to Him, and prayed 
Him to come down and heal his son: for he was at the point 
of death. Jesus therefore said to Him : Unless you see signs 
and wonders you believe not. The ruler saith to Him : Lord, 
come down before that my son die. Jesus saith to him: Go 
thy way, thy son liveth. The man believed the word which 
Jesus said to him, and went his way. And as he was going 
down, his servants met him: and they brought word, saying 
that his son lived. He asked therefore of them the hour, 
wherein he grew better. And they said to him : Yesterday at 
the seventh hour the fever left him. The father therefore 
knew that it was at the same hour, that Jesus said to him: 
Thy son liveth: and himself believed and his whole house. 
This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when He 
was come out of Judea into Galilee." 

Here observe the miraculous power of the word of Christ. 
A mere word, a gentle motion of His lips, a simple breath, 
and the sick man, languishing in his bed miles away, is re- 
stored to health by virtue of this single word. 

4. Peter and Andrew, James and John 

' * And Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, 
Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a 



102 THE FIRST SERMON OF JESUS 

net into the sea (for they were fishers). And He saith to 
them : Come ye after Me and I will make you to be fishers 
of men. And they immediately leaving their nets, followed 
Him. And going on from thence. He saw other two brethren, 
James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with 
Zebedee their father, mending their nets : and He called them. 
And they forthwith left their nets and father and his hired 
men and followed Him." 

Although Peter, John, and Andrew had previously obeyed 
the invitation of Christ to follow Him, they had not remained 
with Him continuously, till from the time of their formal ap- 
pointment to the apostleship. Hitherto they came and went 
according to the impulse of the Spirit and the orders of Jesus. 

5. The Demoniac Healed in the Synagogue 

"And they enter into Capharnaum : and forthwith upon the 
Sabbath days going into the synagogue, He taught them. 
And they were astonished at His doctrine : for He was teach- 
ing them as one having power, and not as the Scribes. And 
there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit: 
and he cried out, with a loud voice, saying : What have we to 
do \nth thee, Jesus of Nazareth: art thou come to destroy us? 
I know who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus 
threatened him, saying: Speak no more and go out of the 
man. And the unclean spirit tearing him, and crying out 
with a loud voice, when he had thrown him into the midst, 
went out of him and hurt him not at all. And they were all 
amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, 
saying: AVhat thing is this? what is this new doctrine? for 
with authority and power He commandeth even the unclean 
spirits, and they obey Him. And the fame of Him was spread 
forthwith into all the country of Galilee." 

It is not to be wondered at that the number of persons pos- 
sessed by the devil was so large at the time of our Lord's stay 
upon earth. Hell, feeling conscious that its reign was draw- 
ing to a close, rallied its forces to wage bitter war against the 
divine-human conqueror. So it does to this day in heathen 
lands when Christianity makes its first appearance. A wise 
God permitted this powerless obstinacy of unclean spirits, in 
order, on the one hand, to make men feel the degradation 
brought on them by sin, and again to glorify the Son of man 
and to exhibit to the world His power over hell. 



CHRIST HEALS THE CENTURION'S SON 103 

6. St, Peter's Mother-in-Law Cured 

"And immediately going out of the synagogue, they came 
into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 
And Simon 's wife 's mother lay in a fit of fever : and forth- 
with they tell Him of her. And coming to her, and standing 
over her. He commanded the fever, and lifted her up, taking 
her by the hand; and immediately the fever left her, and 
she ministered unto them. And when it was evening, after 
sunset, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought 
them to Him. But He laying His hands on every one of them, 
healed them. And all the city was gathered at the door. 
And the devils went out from many that were possessed, cry- 
ing out and saying : Thou art the Son of God. And rebuking 
them, He suffered them not to speak, because they knew that 
He was Christ. That it might be fulfilled, which was spoken 
by Isaias the prophet, saying: He took our infirmities: and 
bore our diseases." 

7. Jesus Traverses GaijIlee, Teaching and Healing the 

Sick 

"And when it was day, going out very early. He went into 
a desert place and there He prayed : and the multitudes sought 
Him, and came unto Him: and stayed Him that He should 
not depart from them. And Simon and they that were with 
Him followed after Him. And when they had found Him, 
they said to Him : All seek for Thee. And He saith to them : 
Let us go into the neighboring towns and cities that I may 
preach there also: for to this purpose am I come. And the 
multitudes sought Him, and came unto Him ; and they stayed 
Him that He should not depart from them. And He said 
to them: To other cities also I must preach the kingdom of 
God; for therefore am I sent. And Jesus went about all 
Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel 
of the kingdom : and healing all manner of sickness and every 
infirmity, among the people. And His fame went throughout 
all Syria, and they presented to Him all sick people that were 
taken with divers diseases and torments, and such as were 
possessed by devils, and lunatics, and those that had the 
palsy, and He cured them : And much people followed Him 
from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and 
from Judea, and from beyond the Jordan." 

Have we not here a plain and comforting evidence that 



104 THE MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES 

Christ came to break the dominion of sin, and consequently 
of grief and misery? to found a kinii;dom where no tear should 
be shed? For what is sickness, what affliction and misery, 
what the ills of the flesh and trouble of soul, but the conse- 
quences of sin? Nothing is clearer and more true. But the 
devil, who envies man's welfare in soul and body, endeavors 
to blind him to the truth. 



CHAPTER IX 
THE MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES 

Luke V. 1-11 

"And it came to pass that when the multitudes pressed 
upon Jesus to hear the word of God, He stood by the lake of 
Genesareth. And He saw two ships standing by the lake : 
but the fishermen were gone out of thein and were washing 
their nets. And going up into one of the ships that was 
Simon 's. He desired him to draw back a little -from the land. 
And sitting, He taught the multitudes out of the ship. 

"Now when He had ceased to speak. He said to Simon: 
Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a 
draught. And Simon answering, said to Him: Master, we 
have labored all the night, and have taken nothing: but at 
Thy word I will let down the net. And when they had done 
this, they enclosed a very great multitude of fishes, and their 
net broke. And they beckoned to their partners that were in 
the other ship, that they should come and help them. And 
they came, and filled both the ships, so that they were almost 
sinking. 

""Which when Simon Peter saw, he fell down at Jesus' 
knees, saying : Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, 
Lord. For he was wholly astonished, and all that were with 
him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken : and 
so were also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were 
Simon 's partners. And Jesus saith to Simon : Fear not : 
from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And having brought 
their ships to land, leaving all things, they followed Him." 

The Saviour effected, through the hands of His apostle, a 
miraculous draught of fishes, on two different occasions— -the 



THE PARALYTIC. THE CALL OF MATTHEW 105 

present one, and again after His resurrection. The apostles 
who had been called and chosen to be fishers of men, were to 
understand from this miracle, how they were one day to cast, 
in the name of Jesus, the net of the divine word and gather 
in unnumbered immortal souls to the kingdom of heaven. 
They were not learned, nor powerful, nor important in the 
eyes of men, but simple fishermen unable to effect anything 
by their own strength. In the wonderful draught of fishes 
their divine Master foreshadowed before them what they 
Avould, in the future, accomplish by virtue of His name and 
with His blessing. To confirm them in this happy depend- 
ence upon the power of His blessing, He repeats this prophetic 
sign in a similar manner, that is, by another draught of 
fishes, just shortly before His ascension into heaven. AVhy 
was this vast draught effected through the hands of Peter? 
Jesus wished to declare openly His preference for Peter, to 
manifest His glorious privilege as prince of the apostles, and 
to show, that from Peter 's bark, the Roman Catholic Church, 
He Himself should in all ages preach infallible truth. 



CHAPTER X 



THE PARALYTIC. THE CALL OF MATTHEW. ON 

FASTING 

Matt. ix. 1-17; Mark ii. 1-22; Luke v. 17-39 

1. The Healing of the Paralytic 

"And entering into a boat, Jesus passed over the water, 
and came into His own city, and a great multitude assembled 
together unto Him and received Him. And He again, after 
some days, entered Capharnaum. And it came to pass on a 
certain day, it being heard that He was in the house, many 
came together, so that there was no room, not even at the door, 
as He sat teaching. And the Pharisees and the doctors of 
the law were sitting by who had come out of every town of 
Galilee, and from Judea, and from Jerusalem. And He 
spoke to them the word of God, and the power of the Lord 
was to heal them. 



106 THE PARALYTIC. THE CALL OF MATTHEW 

"And behold, some men bron2:lit a man who was sick of 
the palsy, lying- in a bed carried by four, and they sought 
means to bring him in, and to lay him before Him : and 
when they could not find by what way they might bring him 
in, because of the multitude, they went up upon the roof, 
and they uncovered the roof where He Avas and opening it 
through the tiles, they let down the bed wherein the man 
sick of the palsy lay, into the midst before Jesus, who having 
seen their faith, said to him : Be of good courage, son, thy 
sins are forgiven thee. 

"And there were some of the Scribes sitting there, and 
thinking in their hearts: ^Miy doth this man speak thus? 
He blasphemeth. Who can forgive sins but God only? Which 
Jesus presently knowing in His spirit, that they so thought 
within themselves, said to them : Why think you these evil 
things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the sick 
of the palsy : Thy sins are forgiven thee : or to say : Arise, 
take up thy bed, aiul walk ? But that you may know that the 
Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins (He saith to 
the sick of the palsy), I say to thee. Arise, take up thy bed 
and go into thy house. And immediately he arose: and tak- 
ing up his bed, went his way in the sight of all, so that all 
wondered, and glorified Ood, that gave such power to men, 
saying: We never saw the like. And the multitudes seeing 
it, feared, and glorified God." 

Jesus Christ, in this cure of the paralytic, shows us plainly 
that, when afflicted with bodily infirmity, our first and chief 
care should be to purify and heal our souls. Summon, there- 
fore, without delay the priest of the Church. Christ's repre- 
sentative, that he may pronounce over your soul the absolv- 
ing words. "Thy sins are forgiven thee"— those awful but 
consoling words, which, if coming from the lips of any one 
but of him to whom Christ said : "AVhose sins you shall forgive, 
they are forgiven them," would be indeed a dire blasphemy. 

2. Jesus Calls Matthew. Eats with Publicans and 

Sinners 

"And He went forth again to the sea side: and all the 
multitude came to Him, and He taught them. And when He 
was passing by, He saw a publican named Levi Matthew, the 
son of Alpheus, sitting at the receipt of custom, and He saith 
to him : Follow me. And rising up, and leaving all things, 



ON FASTING 107 

he followed Him. And Levi made a great feast in his own 
house. And it came to pass, that as He sat at meat in his 
house, many publicans and sinners sat down together with 
Jesus and His disciples : for they were many, who also fol- 
lowed Him. And the Scribes and the Pharisees seeing that 
He ate with publicans and sinners, said to His disciples: 
Why doth your Master eat and drink with publicans and 
sinners ? Jesus hearing this, answering, saith to them : They 
that are well have no need of a physician, but they that 
are sick. For I came not to call the just, but sinners to 
penance. ' ' 

The publicans were the most despised class among the 
Jews; for they were charged with the greatest injustice in 
collecting the revenues for the Roman Government, a power 
beneath whose sway and heavy exactions that people groaned 
with deep and ill-concealed heartburnings. The Scribes and 
Pharisees condemned these publicans rashly and without sin- 
cerity, for their faults were public, while their own, although 
hidden from public gaze, were equally reprehensible. How 
many Christians act in a similar manner ! We condemn 
others, and consider ourselves honest, just, and law-abiding; 
by our uncharitable judgments of our neighbors, we become 
guilty of grievous sin. 

3. Fasting. The New Patch on the Old Garment 

"And the disciples of John and the Pharisees used to fast, 
and coming, they said to Jesus : Why do the disciples of John 
fast often, and make prayers, and the disciples of the Phari- 
sees in like manner : but thine eat and drink ? To whom He 
said : Can you make the children of the bridegroom fast, can 
the children of the bridegroom mourn whilst the bridegroom 
is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom 
shall be taken aAvay from them, then shall they fast in 
those days. As long as they have the bridegroom with them, 
they can not fast. And He spoke also a similitude to them : 
That no man putteth a piece of raw cloth from a new gar- 
ment on an old garment: otherwise he both rendeth the new, 
and the piece taken from the new agreeth not with the 
old, and there is made a greater rent. And no man putteth 
new wine into old bottles : otherwise the new wine will break 
the bottles, and it will be spilled and the bottles will be lost: 
But new wine must be put into new bottles: and both are 



108 THE SICK MAN AT THE POOL OF 

preserved. And no man drinkinp; old wine, hath presently a 
mind to new. for he saith : The old is better." 

AVhat a wise, prudent, and gentle eonsiderateuess our blessed 
]\Iaster here displays ! The time would come soon enough 
when His disciples would be, not partially, but completely, 
strengthened and regenerated by the mystery of Pentecost. 
He will not, then, discourage or embarrass prematurely these 
simple children of Galilee, with external practices of piety and 
mortification. As soon as the Holy Ghost shall have trans- 
formed wholly their spiritual being, then exterior works of 
piety, which, at present, would be of little meaning or value, 
will follow of themselves. 



in 

LIFE OF JESUS, FROM HIS SECOND PASSOVER 

AFTER HIS BAPTISM TILL HIS THIRD 

FEAST OF THE PASSOVER 



CHAPTER XI 

THE SICK MAN AT THE POOL OF BETHSAIDA. 
JESUS ASSERTS HIS DIVINITY 

John V. 1-47 

1. Jesus Cures the Cripple 

**Apter these things was a festival day of the Jews, and 
Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem a 
pond called Probatica, which in Hebrew is named Bethsaida, 
having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick, 
of blind, of lame, of withered, waiting for the moving of the 
water. And an Angel of the Lord descended at certain 
times into the pond, and the water was moved. And he that 
w^ent down first into the pond after the motion of the water, 
was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he lay under. And 



BETHSAIDA. JESUS ASSERTS HIS DIVINITY 109 

there was a certain man there, that had been eight-and-thirty 
years under his infirmity. Him when Jesus had seen lying, 
and knew that he had been now a long time, He saith to him : 
Wilt thou be made whole? The infirm man answered him: 
Sir, I have no man, Avhen the water is troubled, to put me 
into the pond: for whilst I am coming, another goeth down 
before me. Jesus saith to him : Arise, take up thy bed and 
walk : And immediately the man was made whole : and he 
took up his bed and walked. And it was the Sabbath that 
day. The Jews therefore said to Him that was healed : It is 
the Sabbath, it is not lawful for thee to take up thy bed. 
He answered them : He that made me whole, He said to me : 
Take up thy bed and walk. They asked him therefore : Who 
is that man who said to thee : Take up they bed and walk ? 
But he that was healed knew not who it was ; for Jesus went 
aside from the multitude standing in the place. Afterward 
Jesus findeth him in the temple, and saith to him: Behold 
thou art made whole: sin no more, lest some worse thing 
happen to thee. The man went his way and told the Jews 
that it was Jesus who had made him whole. Therefore did 
the Jews persecute Jesus, because He did these things on the 
Sabbath." 

These hypocritical Jews will see nothing here but the viola- 
tion of the Sabbath. They will not recognize the excessive 
benevolence of the Saviour toward this poor sufferer whom 
they had for years neglected ; they will not discern the power 
by which, in an instant, he is so completely restored that he 
can lift with a strong arm the very bed to which he had been 
chained for years ; they do not see the joy of the man on find- 
ing himself rescued from the bondage of sickness and restored 
to the company of his friends. Thus we recognize the Phari- 
sees in every age, even in our own. They shut their eyes to 
everything good, great, and useful effected during many cen- 
turies, by the Church, through her faithful servants, and find 
out only the real or imaginary defects. 

2. The Testimony of Jesus 

"But Jesus answered them: My Father worketh until now, 
and I work. Hereupon therefore the Jews sought the more 
to kill Him : because He did not only break the Sabbath, but 
also said God was His Father, making Himself equal to God. 
Then Jesus answered and said to them : Amen, amen, I say unto 



110 THE SICK MAN AT THE POOL OF 

you: the Son can not do anytliing of Himself, but what He 
seeth the Father doing : for what things soever He doth, these 
also the Son doth in like manner. For the Father loveth the 
Son, and sheweth Him all things which Himself doth : and 
greater works than these will He shew Him, that you may 
wonder. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and giveth 
life : so the Son also giveth life to whom He will. For neither 
doth the Father judge any man : but hath given all judgment 
to the Son; that all men may honor the Son, as they honor 
the Father: He who honoreth not the Son, honoreth not the 
Father, who hath sent Him. Amen, amen, I say unto you, 
that he who heareth My word, and believeth Him that sent 
i\Ie, hath life everlasting, and cometh not into judgment, but 
is passed from death to life. Amen, amen, I say unto you, 
that the hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the 
voice of the Son of God : and they that hear shall live. For 
as the Father hath life in Himself: so He hath given to the 
Son also to have life in Himself : And He hath given Him 
power to do judgment, because He is the Son of man. Wonder 
not at this, for the hour cometh wherein all that are in the 
graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God : And they that 
have done good things, shall come forth unto the resurrection 
of life: but they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of 
judgment. I can not of Myself do any thing. As I hear, so 
I judge; and My judgment is just: because I seek not My 
own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. If I bear witness 
of ^lyself, ]\Iy witness is not true. There is another that 
beareth witness of Me : and I know that the witness which 
he witnesseth of Me is true. You sent to John : and he gave 
testimony to the truth. But I receive not testimony from 
man : but I say these things that you may be saved. He was 
a burning and a shining light. And you were willing for a 
time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater testimony 
than that of John. For the works which the Father hath 
given 'Me to perfect : the works themselves, which I do, give 
testimony of Me, that the Father hath sent Me : And the 
Father Himself who hath sent Me, hath given testimony of 
Me : neither have you heard His voice at any time nor seen 
His shape : And you have not His word abiding in you : for 
whom He hath sent, Him you believe not. Search the Scrip- 
tures, for you think in them to have life everlasting : and the 
same are they that give testimony of Me: And you will not 
come to Me that you may have life. I receive not glory from 



BETHSAIDA. JESUS ASSERTS HIS DIVINITY 111 

men. But I know you, that you have not the love of God in 
you. I am come in the name of My Father, and you receive 
Me not: if another shall come in His own name, him you will 
receive. How can you believe, who receive glory one from 
another: and the glory which is from God alone, you do not 
seek ? Think not that I will accuse you to the Father : there 
is one that accuseth you, Moses, in whom you trust. For if 
you did believe Moses, you would perhaps believe Me also: 
for he wrote of Me. But if you do not believe his writings: 
how will you believe My words ? ' ' 

As Son of God, Jesus exists and works with the eternal 
Father, distinct indeed in His divine personality but unsepa- 
rated and inseparable from the Father in the divine nature, 
that is, in omnipotence, wisdom, and love, all of which He, 
as His only begotten Son, receives from Him from all eternity. 
To Him, as Son of man, is given not only power over the 
elements of nature, over the sick, and over evil spirits, but a 
still higher, yes, the highest power, to call the dead to life 
and to hold the general judgment. And, as Son of man, He 
will not only summon the dead to life for judgment, but He 
will even now call many from their coffins and graves, as a 
foreshadowing of the general resurrection at the end of the 
world. 

The right of holding the last judgment belongs to the Son 
of man, on several grounds. In the first place, it is becoming 
that he should judge the human race who has actually meas- 
ured its length and breadth, and experienced all the trials 
and temptations of human life. In the second place. He who, 
in His sacred humanity, offered the atoning sacrifice, should 
also, in His humanity, sit in judgment over those who have 
availed themselves of His sacrifice, or rejected it. In the 
third place, the deep abasement and forbearance undergone 
by the Son of man requires to be counterbalanced by a corre- 
sponding exaltation and glorification as Judge of the world. 
Of the justice of this Judge no one need have any appre- 
hensions, because the Son of man will then, as He always 
does, act in perfect harmony with the Godhead. On that 
great and dreadful day all men without exception will be 
compelled to acknowledge Him as the Son of the living God. 
Those who now refuse Him homage will recognize Him to 
their confusion; those who now believe in Him, to their 
salvation. 



112 OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH 

CHAPTER XII 

CHRIST'S DISCIPLES PLUCK EARS OF CORN ON 

THE SABBATH. JESUS CURES SEVERAL 

SICK PERSONS 

Matt. xii. 1-21; Mark ii. 23-28; Luke vi. Ml 

1. Jesus Defends His Disciples. Observance of Sunday 
"At that time, Jesus went through the corn-fields, on the 
second-first Sabbath : and His disciples being hungry, began 
to pluck the ears, and to eat, rubbing them in their hands. 
And the Pharisees seeing them, said to Him: Behold Thy 
disciples do that which is not lawful to do on the Sa])bath- 
days. "Why do ye that which is not lawful on the Sabbath- 
days? But He said to them: Have you not read what David 
did when he was hungry, and they that were with him: How 
he entered into the house of God, under Abiathar, the high- 
priest, and did eat the loaves of proposition, and gave to 
them that were with him, which it was not lawful for him to 
eat, nor for them that were with him, but for the priests only? 
Or have ye not read in the law, that on the Sabbath-days the 
priests in the temple break the Sabbath, and are without 
blame? But I tell you that there is here a greater than the 
temple. The Sabbath is made for man, and not man for the 
Sabbath. And if you knew what this meaneth: 'I will have 
mercy, and not sacrifice;' you would never have condemned 
the innocent: For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sab- 
bath." 

There is more latitude given on the Sabbath to the Chris- 
tian than was permitted to the Jcavs. All that is required to 
be done for the honor of God, for the love of our neighbor, 
or for our own necessities, is permitted ; as for example, the 
decoration of altars, the care of the sick, domestic require- 
ments, especially among the poor. But we should be zealous 
and faithful to the day's spiritual sanctification by punctual 
attendance at public worship, by the reception of the sacra- 
ments, increased prayer, and works of mercy. 

2. Jesus Heals the Withered Hand on the Sabbath 

"It came to pass, also, on another Sabbath-day that Jesus 
entered the synagogue and taught. There was a man there 
whose right hand was withered. The Scribes and the Phari- 
sees watched if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath; and they 



CHRIST CALLS THE TWELVE APOSTLES- 113 

asked Him : Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day ? that they 
might thus find an accusation against Him. But Jesus knew 
their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered 
hand : Arise, and stand forth in the midst. And rising, he 
stood forth. Then Jesus said to the Pharisees : I ask you if it 
be lawful on the Sabbath days to do good or to do evil, to 
save life or to destroy? But they held their peace. What 
man. He said to them, shall there be among you, that hath one 
sheep, and if the same fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will 
he not take hold on it and lift it up ? How much better is a 
man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do a good deed 
on the Sabbath days. Then looking round about on them with 
anger, being grieved for the blindness of their hearts, Jesus 
saith to the man : Stretch forth thy hand. He stretched it 
forth, and his hand was restored to health even as the other. ' ' 

3. Other Miracles 

"But the Pharisees were filled with madness, and going 
out, they immediately made a consultation with the Herodians, 
how they might destroy Jesus. But He knowing it, retired 
with His disciples to the sea. A great multitude followed 
Him from Galilee and Judea, from Jerusalem, from Idumea, 
from beyond the Jordan : and also a great multitude from 
about Tyre and Sidon, hearing the things which He did, came 
to Him. Then Jesus spoke to His disciples, that a small ship 
should wait on Him, because of the multitude, lest they should 
throng Him. For He healed many, so that they pressed upon 
Him for to touch Him, as many had evils. The unclean 
spirits when they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried 
out, saying : Thou art the Son of God. ' ' 



CHAPTER XIII 



CHRIST CALLS THE TWELVE APOSTLES AND IM- 
PARTS TO THEM SALUTARY ADMONITIONS 
AND INSTRUCTION 

Matt. X. 1-42; Mark iii. 13-19; vi. 7-13; Luke vi. 12-16; ix. 1-6 

1. The Choosing op the Twelve Apostles. The Chosen 

Tv^ELVB 

''It CAME to pass in those days that Jesus went out into a 
mountain to pray, and He passed the whole night in the 



114 CHRIST CALLS THE TWELVE APOSTLES 

prayer of God. AAHien day was come He called unto Him 
His disciples, and they came to Him. He chose twelve of 
them whom He Avoiild Himself, that should be with Him, and 
that He might send them to preach. He named them apostles, 
and He gave them the power to heal sicknesses and to cast 
out devils. The names of the twelve are these : Simon whom 
He surnamed Peter, James the son of Zebedee, John the 
brother of James, whom Pie named Boanerges, which is the 
sons of thunder, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew the 
publican, Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, and Jude his 
brother named Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, who is called 
Zelotes, and Judas Iscariot who was the traitor." 

In many places throughout the Holy Scriptures we find 
several striking figures of these twelve apostles. Like the 
twelve sons of Jacob, who were the heads of the twelve tribes 
of Israel, the apostles are the twelve fathers of the Christian 
family. They are the twelve messengers sent by God to 
spiritualize the world, as the twelve spies were sent by Moses 
into the land of Canaan. They are the twelve jewels in the 
breast-plate of the high-priest, that is, the twelve chosen men 
who have drawn wisdom and love directly from the bosom of 
Jesus the great high-priest. They are the twelve stars in the 
crown of glory which illumines the brow of the woman de- 
scribed by St. John in the Apocalypse, and who represents 
Christ's spouse, the Church. They are the twelve precious 
stones of jasper in the foundations of the celestial city, the 
twelve gates of the heavenly Jerusalem, from which new 
spiritual life flows in torrents over all the world. 

2. Exhortations to the Apostles. The Duties op Priests. 
The Duties of the Laity Toward Their Clergy 

"These twelve Jesus sent: commanding them, saying: Go 
ye not into the way of the Gentiles, and into the cities of the 
Samaritans enter ye not. But go ye rather to the lost sheep 
of the house of Israel. And going preach, saying : The king- 
dom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, 
cleanse the lepers, cast out devils : freely have you received, 
freely give. Do not possess gold, nor silver, nor money in 
your purses, nor scrip for your journey, nor two coats, nor 
shoes, nor a staff; for the workmen is worthy of his meat. 
And into whatsoever city or town you shall enter, inquire who 
in it is worthy : and there abide till you go thence. And when 



IMPARTS TO THEM SALUTARY ADMONITIONS 115 

you come into the house, salute it, saying: Peace be to this 
house. And if that house be worthy, your peace shall come 
upon it, but if it be not worthy, your peace shall return to 
you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your 
words, going forth out of that house or city, shake off even 
the dust from your feet for a testimony against them. Amen 
I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom 
and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. 
Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye 
therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves. But beware 
of men. For they will deliver you up in councils and they 
will scourge you in their synagogues: And you shall be 
brought before governors, and before kings for my sake, for 
a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they shall 
deliver you up, take no thought how or what to speak : for it 
shall be given you in that hour what to speak. For it is not 
you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh 
in you. The brother also shall deliver up the brother to 
death, and the father the son : and the children shall rise up 
against their parents, and shall put them to death. And 
you shall be hated by all men for My name 's sake : but He 
that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved. And 
when they shall persecute you in this city, flee unto another. 
Amen I say to you, you shall not finish all the cities of Israel, 
till the Son of man come. The disciple is not above the 
master, nor the servant above his lord; it is enough for the 
disciple that he be as his master : and the servant as his lord. 
If they have called the goodman of the house Beelzebub, how 
much more them of his household? Therefore fear them 
not; for nothing is covered that shall not be revealed, nor 
hid, that shall not be known. That which I tell you in the 
dark, speak ye in the light : and that which you hear in the 
ear, preach ye upon the house-tops. And fear ye not them 
that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul : but rather 
fear him that can destroy both soul and body into hell. Are 
not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them 
shall fall on the ground without your Father. But the very 
hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore : 
better are you than many sparrows. Every one therefore 
that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before 
My Father who is in heaven. But he that shall deny Me 
before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in 
heaven. Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth. 



116 CHRIST CALLS THE TWELVE APOSTLES 

I came not to send peace, but the eword ; for I came to set a 
man at variance against his father, and the daughter against 
her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in- 
law. And a man's enemies shall be they of his own house- 
hold. He that loveth father or mother more than Me, is not 
worthy of ]\Ie ; and he that loveth son or daughter more than 
Me, is not worthy of Me. And he that taketh not up his cross, 
and foUoweth Me, is not worthy of Me. He that findeth his 
life, shall lose it : and he that shall lose his life for ]\Ie, shall 
find it. He that reeeiveth you, receiveth Me : and he that 
receiveth ]\Ie, receiveth Him that sent Me. He that receiveth 
a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive the reward 
of a prophet : and he that receiveth a just man in the name of 
a just man, shall receive the reward of a just man. And who- 
soever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of 
cold water only in the name of a disciple : amen I say to you, 
he shall not lose his reward." 

Like to a good general who, on the evening before the 
battle, calls his trusty officers about him, gives them the pass- 
word, explains the plan of battle, and assigns to each one his 
post of duty in the coming contest ; so does the divine Master 
assemble His apostles to prepare them, to teach them, and to 
encourage them. For soon will begin the severest and most 
sanguinary, but, at the same time, the most important and 
glorious conflict — that conflict destined to put an end to the 
deceptive and dishonorable peace of sin, and which will result 
in real, God-promised, comforting peace to the children of 
God. The empire to be overthrown has grown strong and 
immeasurably large under the reign and protection of Lucifer. 
Pagan superstition, pharisaical pride, sensuality, cruelty, 
human passions, and the hordes of hell, are his satellites. 
Christ wishes to conquer this powerful enemy, to wrench his 
prey from his grasp, and to build on the ruins of his empire a 
new kingdom, a kingdom of love, truth, and justice. Truly, so 
great, so momentous, and so glorious a conflict, the world never 
saw before and will not see again till judgment-day. 

The twelve apostles are the twelve generals of the divine 
King. Wliat a glorious commission He bestows not only upon 
them, but also upon their successors in the holy strife, the 
bishops and priests. He first commands poverty, simplicity, 
and frugality. Poverty must be of great importance for an 
apostle; it must be the secret of obtaining God's blessing and 
consequent success in the ministry, since Christ, who Himself 



THE SEEMON ON THE MOUNT 117 

was so poor as not to have a place to lay His head, commends 
its observance thus early and forcibly to the generals of His 
army. His second admonition is to practice charity, which is 
gentle, does good, and scatters blessings even in the house of 
an enemy. His third admonition is to fortitude; fearing not 
the great and influential, but preaching firmness where firm- 
ness can be useful or is necessary. Fourthly, He recom- 
mends prudence, which yields and flies where to persevere 
would be dangerous. Fifthly, He recommends patience in 
privations, remembering the abasement of their divine Mas- 
ter. The sixth recommendation is to unbounded dependence 
in Him, who cares with the unceasing vigilance of a father 
for the smallest among His creatures, and who will not for- 
sake His chosen servants, the leaders in the holy conflict. The 
seventh and last watchword is a joyful hope for the crown 
of victory with which the divine Commander will in the day 
of victorious triumph reward those who have stood faithfully 
to His standard, and have fearlessly proclaimed Him before 
men. Such are the orders of the divine-human Commander 
to His officers ; such the ancient but ever new code of laws for 
Christian clergy of every rank. 



CHAPTER XIV 
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 

Matt, v., vi., vii. ; Luke vi. 17-49 

1. The Sermon in General. Assent to its Teachings 

Secured by the Preacher's Display of 

Miracle-Power 

More grateful to the ear of fallen man than the strains of 
sweetest music are the benignant words of Jesus in this Ser- 
mon on the Mount. No more sublime, sacred, or merciful 
words ever fell from mouth of preacher to soothe the soul of 
erring man. At times they are gentle and sweet as the softest 
tones of the lyre, and again they are grand, startling, and 
majestic, as the mingled clash of trumpet and thunder on 
Mount Sinai. The Sermon on the Mount reveals to us the 
inmost recesses of the human soul, its priceless worth, the 
horror of its loss, the dread majesty of the Almighty, the 



118 THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 

infinite mercy and beuiguit.y, the justness and the indulgence 
of our merciful Judge. 

The Christian who follows its admonitions will be led up to 
the purest humanity, to the most exalted perfection of soul, 
to the most distinterested love of liis neighbor, to the most 
sublime love for God, to true earthly happiness, and to 
heavenly bliss. 

2. The Eight Beatitudes 

"And coming down with His apostles, He stood in a plain 
place, and the company of His disciples, and a very great 
multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the 
sea coast both of Tyre and Sidou, who were come to hear 
Him, and to be healed of their diseases. And they that were 
troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the multi- 
tude sought to touch Him : for virtue went out from Him, and 
healed all. And He lifting up His eyes on His disciples, 
said: Blessed are ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. 

"And Jesus seeing the multitudes, went up into a moun- 
tain, and when He was set down, His disciples came unto Him. 
And opening His mouth He taught them, saying : 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom 
of heaven. 

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. 

"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be com- 
forted. 

"Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for 
they shall have their fill. 

"Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy. 

"Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. 

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the 
children of God. 

"Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: 
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

"Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute 
you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for My 
sake : be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in 
heaven ; for so they persecuted the prophets that were before 
you." 

What a beautiful, heart-winning introduction to His ser- 
mon ! Surely, He who thus speaks can have come into the 
w^orld for no other purpose but to re-unite heaven and earth, 
to restore man to his long-lost happiness. Hence Christ's 



THE SERMON ON THE -MOUNT 119 

gospel must necessarily be directly opposed to that system of 
teaching which severed earth from heaven. Worldlings praise 
the rich, the great, and the powerful ; but Jesus commends 
the lowly, the persecuted, the tearful poor. 

Once again it is poverty that Christ first of all recom- 
mends to His disciples and to the multitude, as He did lately 
to His apostles. Poverty in spirit; that is, that holy spirit 
of poverty, consisting not so much in possessing nothing, but 
rather in having one's heart detached from earthly treasures,- 
and in holding one's soul free from inordinate love of worldly 
goods, and in seeking after the imperishable wealth of truth, 
grace, and happiness in Christ. In this holy poverty, are 
found true freedom of soul, all real goodness, holiness, and 
contentment. Modesty, peacefulness, compassion, chastity of 
soul and body, hunger and thirst after justice, God-given 
sorrow for our own sins and for the faults of our neighbors, 
courage in persecution;— all these virtues spring from a 
faithful practice of the virtue of holy poverty. 

3. The Four Woes to Sinners in Worldly Prosperity 

According to the explicit teaching of St. Paul, avarice 
(which is directly opposed to holy poverty) is the source of 
all passionate contentions for the things of this world; it is 
the origin of every evil and misfortune. Hence the dreadful 
language of the divine Master : 

' ' But woe to you that are rich : for you have your con- 
solation. 

"Woe to you that are filled : for you shall hunger. 

' ' Woe to you that laugh now : for you shall mourn and 
weep. 

"Woe to you when men shall bless you: for according to 
these things did their fathers to the false prophets." 

4. The Salt of the Earth, and the Light of the World 

Jesus now turning from the multitude of His disciples, 
directs His words to those apostles who were standing near 
Him, and whom He had specially appointed to heal the moral 
corruption of the world, to announce the glad tidings of sal- 
vation, to dispense God's grace in the sacraments, and thus 
become a leaven among men. 

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt lose its 
savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing 
any more but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men. You 



120 THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 

are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain can not 
be hid; neither do men light a candle and put it under a 
bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that 
are in the house. So let your light shine before men, that 
they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who 
is in heaven." 

5. Christ Upholds the Old Law and Perfects It 

AVhilst admonishing the future prophets and teachers of 
the New Testament, Jesus Christ adverts to the ancient 
prophets, and to the old law especially. This law is not to 
be repealed nor destroyed, but rather developed, perfected, 
and sanctified. The ceremonial law, foretelling and prefigur- 
ing Christ, having now reached its fulfilment, ceased to be; 
but the moral law of the Old Testament finds and receives in 
Christ its new confirmation and sanction on the basis of love, 
as well as its explanation and its perfect completion. 

6. Respect for Our Fellow-Men 

"Do not think that I am come to destroy the law or the 
prophets : I am not come to destroy but to fulfill. For amen 
I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one 
tittle shall not pass of the law. till all be fulfilled. He there- 
fore that shall break one of these least commandments, and 
shall so teach men. shall be called the least in the kingdom of 
heaven : but he that shall do and teach, he shall be called 
great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, that unless 
your justice abound more than that of the Scribes and Phari- 
sees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

"You have heard that it was said to them of old : Thou shalt 
not kill : and whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the 
judgment. But I say to you: that whosoever is angry with 
his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And who- 
soever shall say to his brother, Raca : shall be in danger of 
the council. And whosoever shall say. Thou fool : shall be in 
danger of hell fire. If therefore thou offer thy gift at the 
altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath any- 
thing against thee: leave there thy offering before the altar, 
and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming 
thou shalt offer thy gift. Be at agreement with thy adversary 
betimes, whilst thou art in the way with him ;^ lest perhaps the 

^That is, whilst we are with the living; for if we die without recon- 
ciliation, we become amenable to the pains of purgatory, or even of hell. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 121 

adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee 
to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Amen I say to 
thee, thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repay the last 
farthing. ' ' 

See how Christ gives to the most important relations of 
daily life an entirely new and perfect character, by securing 
to the individual higher honor and more personal dignity, than 
were required or secured in the Old Testament. The smallest 
offence is to be more strictly forbidden and more severely 
punished, as the Saviour explains by a parable, or comparison 
with the three grades of justice : the lower court consisting of 
twenty-three judges, the upper court with its seventy-two 
judges, and the court of hell. 

7. The Sanctity and Indissolubility op Marriage 

' ' You have heard that it was said to them of old : Thou shalt 
not commit adultery. But I say to you : that whosoever shall 
look on a woman to lust after her, hath already committed 
adultery with her in his heart. And if thy right eye scan- 
dalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee : for it is ex- 
pedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, 
rather than thy whole body be cast into hell. And if thy 
right hand scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee : 
for it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should 
perish rather than that thy whole body go into hell. And 
it hath been said: Whosoever shall put away his wife, let 
him give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, that who- 
soever shall put away his wife, excepting the cause of fornica- 
tion, maketh her to commit adultery : and he that shall marry 
her that is put away, committeth adultery. ' ' 

Here our divine Teacher re-establishes and sanctifies the 
family in its very foundation, namely, in holy matrimony, and 
in matrimonial fidelity. Henceforth, lawful marriage is to 
be indissoluble. No power, whether temporal or spiritual, can 
ever again dissolve a properly contracted marriage. For all 
future time, married people are to understand that they are 
bound under pain of grievous sin, to strictly observe matri- 
monial fidelity, not only in act, but in word, thought, and 
look. 

8. On Swearing and On Simplicity in Speech 

"Again you have heard that it was said to them of old: 
Thou shalt not forswear thyself : but thou shalt perform thy 



122 THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 

oaths to the Lord. But I say to you not to swear at all, 
neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God : nor by the 
earth, for it is His foot-stool : nor by Jerusalem, for it is the 
city of the great king : neither shalt thou swear by thy head, 
because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But 
let your speech be yea, yea : no, no : and that which is over and 
above these, is of evil." 

In these edifying and instructive passages of His Sermon 
on the IMount, our Lord elevates and sanctifies business rela- 
tions between man and man, by extolling and enjoining 
mutual honesty and confidence between them to such a laud- 
able and happy extent, that the words, yes or no, may be 
sufficient, and all oaths unnecessary. True, owing to human 
imperfection, neither the judicial oath; nor, in case of neces- 
sity, and in truth, is any just oath forbidden. 

9. Law Regulated by Love 

"You have heard that it hath been said: an eye for an 
eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you not to resist 
evil : but if one strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him 
also the other: and if a man will contend M'ith thee in judg- 
ment and take away thy coat, let go thy cloak also unto him : 
and whosoever will force thee one mile, go with him other 
two. Give to him that asketh of thee : and from him that 
would borrow of thee tuni not away. Of him that taketh 
away thy goods, ask them not again : forgive and you shall be 
forgiven : give and it shall be given to you. Good measure, 
pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall 
they give into your bosom. It is a more blessed thing to give 
rather than to receive. And as you would that men should 
do to you, do you also to them in like manner." 

In these words our blessed Master sanctifies Christian gov- 
ernment or society, by elevating, purifying, and perfecting 
strict justice, which is its very corner-stone, and by inculcat- 
ing upon His followers to sometimes forego their rights for 
peace sake, especially in affairs of minor importance ; when 
such concession will not, to any grave extent, injure them- 
selves or those depending upon them. 

10. Love of Enemies. Supernatural Motives for Chris- 
tian Love 

"You have heard that it hath been said: thou shalt love 
thy neighbor, and hate thy enemy. But I say to you: love 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 123 

your enemies, do good to them that hate you, bless them that 
curse you : and pray for them that persecute and calumniate 
you : That you may be the children of your Father who is in 
heaven : who maketh His sun to rise upon the good and bad, 
and raineth upon the just and the unjust. For if you love 
them that love you, what reward shall you have ? do not even 
the publicans this? And if you salute your brethren only, 
what do you more ? Do not also the heathen this ? And if ye 
do good to them who do good to you ; what thanks are to you ? 
for sinners also do this. And if ye lend to them of whom you 
hope to receive ; what thanks are to you ? for sinners also lend 
to sinners, for to receive as much. But love ye your enemies : 
do good, and lend, hoping for nothing thereby : and your 
reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest, 
for He is kind to the unthankful, and to the evil. Be ye there- 
fore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Be you there- 
fore perfect as also your heavenly Father is perfect." 

We here discover our divine Saviour's desire to sanctify 
human society, by elevating and ennobling that bond which 
affects all men, namely, natural affection into supernatural 
love or charity, by directing it to the heavenly Father, by 
promising a supernatural reward for its observance, and by 
thus divesting it of that dross of selfishness which sometimes 
incrusts the gold of real love and obscures its brightness. Oh, 
if men would only adhere to the observance of these sound 
principles on which the Saviour founded His kingdom ! How 
secure the individual would be, how united the family would 
be, how plain and easy every kind of business, how peaceful 
the commonwealth, how happy the whole human family in 
its every relation ! 

11. Alms-Giving 

Our divine Teacher now passes on to the three principal 
works of Christian charity, namely, alms-giving, prayer, and 
fasting. He warns us, first of all, that these three works have 
value before God and merit the kingdom of heaven, only 
when they are done, not to elicit the praise of men, but out 
of love for God and with the hope of divine reward. For 
the foundation of all real good, is disinterested motive or 
purity of intention. 

"Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be 
seen by them : otherwise you shall not have a reward of your 
Father who is in heaven. Therefore when thou dost an 



124 THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 

alms-deed, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites 
do in the synagognies and in the streets, that they may be 
honored by men : Amen I say to yon, they have received their 
reward. But when thou dost alms, let not thy left hand 
know what thy ridit hand doth : That thy alms may be in 
secret, and thy Father, who seeth in secret, will repay thee," 
This reward will be given, not only on the last day, when, 
according to St. Paul, "the Lord will bring to light whatever 
is hidden in darkness, and lay open the secrets of our hearts, 
and every man will receive his reward from God." Even in 
this life, the Lord will bless your alms-giving and send it back, 
a thousandfold, in blessings to your soul and body, to your 
family, and to your substance; as countless examples and 
daily experience prove. How precious this gentle, hidden, and 
mysterious blessing which falls upon all good men who prac- 
tise charity toward their needy brethren ! If you have much, 
give abundantly. Be not stingy with your wealth. Alms- 
giving is an investment in the heavenly treasury, which will 
pay heavy interest. But if you have only a little, give of that 
little cheerfully, remembering how our Lord glorified the 
widow's mite at Jerusalem. 

12. The "Our Father" 

* * And when ye pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites that 
love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the 
streets, that they may be seen by men. Amen I say to you, 
they have received their reward. But thou when thou shalt 
pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray 
to thy Father in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret 
will repay thee. And when you are praying speak not much, 
as the heathens; for they think that in their much speaking 
they may be heard. Be not you therefore like to them; for 
your Father knoweth what is needful for you, before you ask 
Him. Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Father who art 
in heaven, hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy 
will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day 
our daily supersubstantial bread. And forgive us our debts, 
as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into tempta- 
tion. But deliver us from evil. Amen. For if you will 
forgive men their offences : your heavenly Father will forgive 
you also your offences. But if you will not forgive men, 
neither will your Father forgive you your offences." 

Our good and merciful Redeemer has given us a glorious 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 125 

prayer; a prayer of touching simplicity, of sweetest expres- 
sion, and deepest meaning; a prayer far surpassing the 
choicest effusions from the hearts of the holiest of saints. 
It is the Son of the living God who gave it to us, as a me- 
morial to His beloved on earth. For nigh 2000 years, our 
ancestors in the faith have repeated it in prosperity and in 
adversity, in joy and sorrow; therefore it is a venerable me- 
morial of our forefathers. The apostles, martyrs, fathers of 
the Church, the most illustrious princes of Christendom, 
philosophers and divines as well as the illiterate, rich and 
poor, have all repeated its simple and beautiful words. It is 
therefore a holy bond of union between Christians of all 
generations; a precious sign of Christian unity. Let us try 
to understand with what reverence, devotion, and gladness 
our hearts should be animated when we repeat the Lord's 
prayer. 

Although our blessed Redeemer advises us to recite this 
and other similar prayers in the privacy of our rooms, we 
must not therefore conclude that He does not require us to be 
present at and to participate in public worship, and in those 
religious gatherings so frequently mentioned with approval 
both in the old and the new dispensations. We must do the 
one, and not neglect the other; and we must do both in a 
proper spirit and with true sincerity; not simply outwardly 
and with the lips only, but interiorly and with a vivid con- 
sciousness of God's sacred presence. Hence Christ warns us 
not to depend upon the multiplication of too many words 
when at our devotions. It is the spirit that quickeneth, the 
spirit of holy reverence, of childlike love, of unrestricted con- 
fidence and of entire dependence on God. It is only when 
animated with this spirit that the protracted prayers used 
by Christians have any value. We are exhorted to employ 
continued and frequent prayer, not only by the command of 
Christ, but especially by His example in the desert and on the 
mountain, as well as by the practice of the saints. 

13. Fasting 

' ' And when you fast be not as the hypocrites, sad ; for they 
disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. 
Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But 
thou, when thou fastest anoint thy head and wash thy face, 
that thou appear not to men to fast, but to thy Father who is 
in secret : and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee. ' ' 



126 THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 

14. Poverty in Spirit. Trust in God 

Again our blessed Master reverts to the subject of "poverty 
in spirit." Oh, how clearly and thoroughly He understands 
human nature, with all its weaknesses! How well He knows 
that man. although he will not admit it even to himself, 
secretly cherishes an inordinate desire to acquire worldly 
goods, and to hold them tenaciously as his own property. The 
creature has not confidence in His Creator, the son hesitates 
to depend upon his eternal Father's providence, and seeks 
by undue means to acciuire wealth which will leave him inde- 
pendent of the most bountiful of fathers. This is a great 
mistake, and one that destroys the essence of Christianity, 
namely, faith, hope, and charity. Hence our divine Teacher 
warns us earnestly : 

"Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth: where the 
rust and moth consume, and where thieves break through and 
steal. But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven: where 
neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do 
not break through nor steal. For where thy treasure is, there 
is thy heart also. The light of thy body is thy eye.^ If thy 
eye be single, thy whole body shall be lightsome. But if thy 
eye be evil : thy whole body shall be darksome. If then the 
light that is in thee, be darkness : the darkness itself how 
great shall it be? No man can serve two masters: for either 
he will hate the one and love the other : or he will sustain the 
one and despise the other. You can not serve God and mam- 
mon. Therefore I say to you, be not solicitous for your life 
what you shall eat, nor for your body what you shall put on. 
Is not the life more than the meat : and the body more than 
the raiment? Behold the birds of the air, for they neither 
sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your 
heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you of much more 
value than they? And which of you by taking thought can 
add to his stature one cubit? And for raiment why are you 
solicitous? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow: 
they labor not, neither do they spin. But I say to you, that 
not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. 
And if the grass of the field, which is to-day, and to-morrow 
is cast into the oven, God doth so clothe, how much more you, 
O ye of little faith ? Be not solicitous therefore, saying : What 

^Christ terms the eye, which can never see enough, and which always 
desires more, the seat of avarice; which vice is therefore called the con- 
cupiscence of the eye. 




Miirtin Feiierstein Copyright by Buiiziger Brotliers 

Jesus with MarthxV and Mary 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 127 

shall we eat : or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we 
be clothed? For after all these things do the heathens seek. 
For your Father knoweth that you have need of all these 
things. Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and His 
justice : and all these things shall be added unto you. Be not 
therefore solicitous for to-morrow. For the morrow will be 
solicitous for itself: sufficient for the day is the evil thereof." 

15. Rash Judgment 

Not less dear to the heart of our blessed Lord than poverty 
of spirit and childlike dependence and confidence in God, are 
the virtues of humility, charity, and concord and peace among 
His followers. 

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged: condemn not, 
and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be 
forgiven. Give, and it shall be given to you : good measure 
and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall 
they give into your bosom. For with the same measure that 
you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again." 

"And He spoke also to them a similitude: Can the blind 
lead the blind? do they not both fall into the ditch? The 
disciple is not above his master : but every one shall be perfect 
if he be as his master. And why seest thou the mote in thy 
brother's eye, but the beam that is in thy own eye thou con- 
siderest not. Or how canst thou say to thy brother : Brother, 
let me pull the mote out of thy eye : when thou thyself seest 
not the beam in thy own eye ? Hypocrite, cast first the beam 
out of thy own eye : and then shalt thou see clearly to take 
out the mote from thy brother's eye." 

' ' Give not that which is holy to dogs ; neither cast ye your 
pearls before swine, lest perhaps they trample them under 
their feet, and turning upon you, they tear you." 

16. Prayee 

**Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: 
knock, and it shall be opened to you. For every one that 
asketh, receiveth : and he that seeketh, findeth : and to him 
that knocketh, it shall be opened. Or what man is there among 
you, of whom if his son shall ask bread, will he reach him a 
stone? Or if he shall ask him a fish, will he reach him a 
serpent? If you then being evil, know how to give good 
gifts to your children : how nuicli more will your Father who 



128 THE SEIUNION ON THE MOUNT 

is in heaven, give good things to them that ask Him? All 
things therefore whatsoever yon would that men should do to 
you, do you also to them. For this is the law and the 
prophets. ' ' 

17. Of the Broad and Narrow Roads 

"Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and 
broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there 
are who go in thereat. How narrow is the gate, and strait is 
the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!" 

18. False Prophets. True Servants of Christ. 

This doctrine of the narrow gate does not suit the worldly- 
minded man, who affects to disbelieve the teachings of Christ 
concerning the smallness and difficulties of the road which 
leads to heaven. Such persons would fain obtain the happi- 
ness of heaven, but meanwhile wish to be at liberty to gratify, 
here on earth, every inclination of their corrupt hearts. Alas! 
what is still more to be deplored, is the fact that there are 
never wanting teachers who are always ready to flatter these 
notions of perverted hearts. These, under the mask of 
benevolence or liberalism, and in the name of civilization and 
enlightenment, oppose the gravest and most important prin- 
ciples of the gospel, crying out in flattering accents: "God is 
pure love and the highest good ; He made this beautiful world 
and all its pleasures for us to enjoy them; enjoy life generally 
and promiscuously. Therefore enjoy every pleasure within 
your reach ; away with those troublesome restraints which 
dismal men who know not the world, with its necessities and 
rights, would place upon you." How many there are in these 
times who speak and write in this strain ! Alas, they are evil 
prophets, whose words lead to perdition. Our blessed Lord 
warns us against these men saying : 

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing 
of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. By their 
fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, 
or flgs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth 
good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A 
good tree can not bring forth evil fruit: neither can an evil 
tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not 
forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the 
fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. A 
good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 129 

that which is good : and an evil man out of the evil treasure 
bringeth forth that which is evil. For out of the abundance 
of the heart the mouth speaketh. ' ' 

"And why call you me. Lord, Lord: and do not the things 
which I say? Not every one that saith to me. Lord, Lord, 
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven : but he that doth the 
will of My Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the 
kingdom of heaven. Many will say to Me in that day : Lord, 
Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and cast out devils 
in Thy name, and done many miracles in Thy name? And 
then will I profess unto them: I never knew you: depart 
from Me, you that work iniquity." 

19. The House on the Rock and the House on the Sand 

"Every one that cometh to Me, and heareth My words, and 
doth them, I will show you to whom He is like : He is like to 
a man building a house, who digged deep, and laid the foun- 
dation upon a rock ; and when a flood came, the stream beat 
vehemently upon that house, and it could not shake it: for 
it was founded on a rock. And the rain fell, and the floods 
came, and the winds blew and they beat upon that house, and 
it fell not, for it was founded on a rock. And every one that 
heareth these My words, and doth them not, shall be like a 
foolish man, that built his house upon the sand. And the 
rains fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they 
beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall 
thereof. Every one therefore that heareth these My words, 
and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man, that built his 
house upon a rock." 

This beautiful parable terminates the Sermon on the Mount. 
It is a parable full of meaning for each and all of us, for it 
contains the history and experience of every individual. From 
youth upwards, through middle age, and even in declining 
years, we strive and plan and labor, we wish and seek and 
study. And for what? Every one amongst us is trying to 
build up the edifice of his fortune. But how differently men 
build? Some found their happiness upon sensual gratifica- 
tion, or on wealth, or on the arts and sciences, or on honor and 
prominence before their fellow-men. And as they build, they 
never think of Christ or His holy law. Their edifice rises in 
bold and fair proportions, and many admire, and even envy 
the skilful architects. A few years pass by, violent storms 
arise, coming either from outside causes, or else as the logical 



130 JESUS CLEANSES THE LEPER AND 

consequences of inherent and gradually developing evil. Be- 
hold ! the sinner's temple of happiness totters, falls, and 
crumbles into ruins, and former friends now pass him and his 
shattered fortune by with a shudder. Others, more wise, 
found their happiness on the word of God and the observance 
of His holy law. Their building goes up quietly and slowly, 
but surely and permanently. For, behold ! the storms come 
— the storms of sickness, of old age. of misfortune from with- 
out, and tinally of death. But a happiness built upon virtue 
is solid and durable, and in the evening hour of life it re- 
sembles a bright and glorious summer sunset, while the edifice 
itself lasts from generation to generation. 



CHAPTER XV 



JESUS CLEANSES THE LEPER, AND RESTORES THE 
CENTURION'S SERVANT 

Matt. viii. 1-13; Mark i. 40-45; Luke v. 12-16; vii. 1-10 

1. The Leper 

In sickness and death, sin manifests its real nature, and 
finds, as it were, its most vivid and truest expression, so that 
the diseased and languishing body becomes a painfully true 
likeness of the sin-tainted soul. This likeness is especially 
striking in case of leprosy, where the blood of the patient, the 
very essence of life, becomes corrupt, carrying in its course the 
most dreadful poison throughout the system, producing the 
most repulsive ulcers and sores. So contagious was this dis- 
ease, and at the same time so loathsome, that, among the Jews, 
lepers were not allowed to dwell in the towns, but were com- 
pelled to drag out a miserable and isolated existence in re- 
mote places. You see the sinner in the leper. Faith, the most 
vital force of the soul, and that by which the just man lives 
and effects good, has been deadened by unbelief or doubt, 
and spiritual life has become the prey of a deadly poison. 
Incapacity for all natural good has set in. The immortal 
soul which came glorious and spotless from the hands of its 
Creator has become to him an object of disgust, and to man a 
source of infection. Who can cure and save it? None but 
the Physician sent down from heaven, who, in order to com- 



RESTORES THE CENTURION'S SERVANT 131 

fort poor, sinning man, and to assure him of His own omnip- 
otent power and good will to cleanse him from the leprosy 
of the soul, proceeds to heal by His miraculous power the 
leprosy of body, as the evangelists relate in the following 
passages : 

' ' And when Jesus was come down from the mountain, great 
multitudes followed Him. And when He was in a certain 
city, behold a man full of leprosy came to Him, beseeching 
Him, and kneeling down, said to Him : If Thou wilt, Thou 
canst make me clean. And Jesus having compassion on him, 
stretched forth His hand : and touching him, saith to him : 
I will : Be thou made clean. And when he had spoken, im- 
mediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was made 
clean. And he strictly charged him, and forthwith sent him 
away : And He saith to him : See thou tell no one : but go, 
show thyself to the high-priest, and offer for thy cleansing 
the things that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them. 
But he being gone out, began to publish, and to blaze abroad 
the word, so that Jesus could not openly go into the city, but 
was without in desert places, and they flocked to Him from all 
sides to hear Him and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. 
And Jesus retired into the desert and prayed." 

2. The Centurion's Servant 

"And when Jesus had finished all His words in the hearing 
of the people, He entered into Capharnaum. And the servant 
of a certain centurion, who was dear to him, being sick, was 
ready to die. And when he had heard of Jesus, he sent unto 
Him the ancients of the Jews, desiring Him to come and heal 
his servant, saying : Lord, my servant lieth at home sick, and 
is grievously tormented. And when they came to Jesus, they 
besought Him earnestly, saying to Him: he is worthy that 
thou shouldst do this for him : for he loveth our nation : and 
he hath built us a synagogue. And Jesus went with them, 
saying: I will come to him and heal him. And when he was 
now not far from the house, the centurion sent his friends to 
Him, saying : Lord, trouble not Thyself : for I am not worthy 
that thou shouldst enter under my roof. For which cause 
neither did I think myself worthy to come to Thee : but say 
the word and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a 
man subject to authority, having under me soldiers: and I say 
to one, go, and he goeth : and to another, come, and he cometh : 
and to my servant, do this, and he doth it. Which Jesus hear- 



132 JESUS RAISES THE WIDO^Y'S SON TO LIFE 

ing, marveled : and turuina: about to the multitude that fol- 
lowed Him, He said : Amen I say to you, I have not found so 
great faith, not even in Israel. And I say to you that many 
shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with 
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven: 
but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into the 
exterior darkness : there shall be weeping and gnashing of 
teeth. And Jesus said to the centurion : Go. and as thou 
hast believed so be it done to thee. And the servant was 
healed at the same hour, and they who were sent, being re- 
turned to the house, found the servant whole who had been 
sick." 

With what touching simplicity the centurion expresses his 
strong and fervent belief in Christ. He is Lord and Master 
of the elements, of sickness and health ; and as the soldier 
hearkens to the command of his officer, so do the elements 
recognize and obey tlie voice of this their Creator. What a 
cause of confusion to the Jews is this profession of faith in 
the power of Jesus Christ, coming from the lips of a Roman 
soldier! 



CHAPTER XVI 
JESUS RAISES THE WIDOW'S SON TO LIFE 

Luke vii. 11-18 

Spirit and matter are equally subject to the divine will. 
Hence even death is obedient to Christ. He has but to appear 
upon a scene of death, where all seems to be hopelessly lost, 
Avhere proud man shudders at his own helplessness, and ac- 
knowledges his weakness, and by the exercise of His miracu- 
lous power. He restores hope and comfort, changing the wail 
of lamentation into joyful canticles of praise and gratitude. 

"And it came to pass afterward that He went into a city 
that is called Nairn : and there went with Him His disciples 
and a great multitude. And when He came nigh to the gate 
of the city, behold a dead man was carried out, the only son 
of his mother, and she was a widow: and a great multitude 
of the city was with her. AVhom when the Lord had seen, 
being moved with mercy toward her. He said to her: Weep 
not. And He came near and touched the bier. And they that 



THE DISCIPLES OF JOHN COME TO JESUS 133 

carried it stood still. And He said : Young man, I say to 
thee, arise. And he that was dead, sat up, and began to 
speak. And He gave him to his mother. And there came a 
fear on them all, and they glorified God, saying : A great 
prophet is risen up among us, and, God hath visited His 
people. And this rumor of Him went forth throughout all 
Judea, and throughout all the country round about. And 
John's disciples told him of all these things." 

The evangelists assure us that Christ raised the dead to life 
on three different occasions. First, in the case of the young 
man of Naim ; secondly, of the daughter of Jairus ; and again 
in the case of Lazarus. The young girl had only just died, 
the young man was being borne to his grave, and Lazarus had 
lain four days in the tomb. So from the different stages of 
decay and corruption of soul will Christ raise the sinner to 
spiritual life, if he but listen to the call of divine grace. He 
restored the widow's son because touched at the sight of her 
tears, the daughter of Jairus because moved to compassion by 
the grief of the father, and Lazarus because of his sympathy 
with the bereaved and desolate sisters. Contemplate the ten- 
der compassion of our blessed Lord, and learn from Him to 
sympathize with your afflicted brethren. But as Christ's 
sympathy was a living and practical one, so be not satisfied 
to heave a sigh or shed a tear, but extend your hand in help 
to the afflicted. Show your Christian sympathy, not by words 
alone, but by substantial aid. 



CHAPTER XVII 

THE DISCIPLES OF JOHN COME TO JESUS. HE 

PRAISES JOHN AND DEPLORES THE WANT 

OF FAITH AMONG THE JEWS 

Matt. ix. 2-30; Luke vii. 19-35 

1. John's Disciples Ask Jesus if He is the Messias 

"And when John had heard in prison the works of Christ, 
he called to him two of his disciples, and sent them to Jesus, 
saying: Art thou He that art to come, or look we for an- 
other? And when the men were come unto Him, they said: 



134 THE DISCIPLES OF JOHN COME TO JESUS 

John the Baptist hath sent us to Thee, saying: Art thou He 
that are to come, or look we for another? (And in that same 
hour, he cured many of their diseases, and hurts, and evil 
spirits, and to many that were blind He gave sight.) And 
answering. He said to them : Go and relate to John what you 
have heard and seen : the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers 
are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, to the poor 
the gospel is preached ; and blessed is he whosoever shall not 
be scandalized in Me." 

John sent his disciples to Jesus for their own sake, for he 
himself had heard Cod's testifying voice at the baptism in 
the Jordan and had recognized his Saviour. But it was 
necessary for his disciples to hear the glad tidings of salvation 
from Jesus' owti lips, and thus be drawn to believe in and to 
follow Him. 

2. Jesus Praises John 

"And w^hen the messengers of John were departed, Jesus 
began to speak to the multitudes concerning John : What Avent 
you out into the desert to see? a reed shaken with the wind? 
But what went you out to see? a man clothed in soft gar- 
ments? Behold they that are in costly apparel and live deli- 
cately, are in the houses of kings. But what Avent you out to 
see? a prophet? Yea I say to you, and more than a prophet. 
This is He of whom it is written : Behold I send My Angel 
before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee. For 
I say to you : Amongst those that are born of women, there 
is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he that 
is the lesser in the kingdom of God is greater than he. And 
from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of 
heaven sufiFereth violence, and the violent bear it away. For 
all the prophets and the law prophesied until John ; and if 
you will receive it, he is Elias that is to come. He that hath 
ears to hear, let him hear." 

John the Baptist is the Elias, inasmuch as he preceded and 
prepared the way for the first coming of Christ upon earth, as 
Elias himself will one day go before Him when He shall come 
to judge mankind. 

3. Jesus Complains of the Unbelieving Jews 

The scribes and Pharisees were not ready to receive either 
the stern severity of John, or the gentle benignity of Jesus. 
Like silly children, they wish to have things according to their 



JESUS DEPLORES JEWS' M^ANT OF FAITH 135 

fancy, and get angry and sulky because the play does not suit 
them. 

"And all the people and the publicans hearing Jesus, justi- 
fied God, being baptized with John's baptism. But the Phar- 
isees and the lawyers despised the counsel of God against 
themselves, being not baptized by Him. And the Lord said : 
Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation 1 and 
what are they like? They are like to children sitting in the 
market-place, and speaking one to another, and saying: We 
have piped to you, and you have not danced : we have 
mourned, and you have not wept. For John the Baptist came 
neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say : He hath 
a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking, and 
you say: Behold a man that is a glutton and a drinker of 
wine, a friend of publicans and sinners. And wisdom is justi- 
fied by all her children," that is, recognized and admitted by 
all those who have the good will and truly childlike dis- 
position. 

"Then began He to upbraid the cities, wherein were done 
the most of His miracles, for that they had not done penance. 
Woe to thee, Corozain, woe to thee, Bethsaida : for if in Tyre 
and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been 
wrought in you, they had long ago done penance in sack- 
cloth and ashes. But I say unto you: It shall be more toler- 
able for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for you. 
And thou Capharnaum, shalt thou be exalted up to heaven? 
thou shalt go down even unto hell ; for if in Sodom had been 
wrought the miracles that have been wrought in thee, per- 
haps it had remained unto this day. But I say unto you, 
that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the 
day of judgment, than for thee. 

' ' At that time Jesus answered and said : I confess to thee, 
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid 
these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed 
them to little ones. Yea, Father, for so hath it seemed good 
in Thy sight. All things are delivered to Me by My Father. 
And no one knoweth the Son, but the Father : neither doth 
any one know the Father, but the Son, and He to whom it 
shall please the Son to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you 
that labor, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take 
up My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, because I am meek 
and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. 
For My yoke is sweet and My burden light." 



CHAPTER XVIII 
THE CONVERSION OF MARY MAGDALEN 

Luke vii. 36; viii. 3 

The first person of whom we read in the Gospel, as coming 
to Jesus solely and exclusively on her soul's account, seeking 
mercy and craving pardon and freedom from sin, is Mary 
jMagdalen. She was the sister of Lazarus and Martha. 

Down deep in her heart was a still, small voice disturbing 
her enjoyment of sinful pleasure. "Magdalen, what hast 
thou become, and when all this is over, what will become of 
thee?" The voice grew louder and more frequent. She felt 
poor and lonely, and her heart grew sad as her conscience 
proclaimed aloud her numberless sins. But now dawned the 
day of grace. A voice was heard in the land, saying: "Come 
to Me, all ye that labor and are heavily burdened." These 
words of mercy penetrated the sinner's heart. She obeyed 
and was saved. 

"And one of the Pharisees desired Jesus to eat with him. 
And He Avent into the house of the Pharisee, and sat down 
to meat. And behold a woman that was in the city a sinner, 
when she knew that He sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, 
brought an alabaster box of ointment. And standing behind 
at His feet, she began to wash His feet with tears, and wiped 
them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet, and 
anointed them with the ointment. And the Pharisee, who 
had invited Him, seeing it, spoke within himself, saying: 
This man, if he were a prophet, would know surely who and 
what manner of woman this is that toueheth him : that she is 
a sinner. And Jesus answering, said to him: Simon, I have 
somewhat to say to thee. But he said : Master, say it. A 
certain creditor had two debtors: the one owed five hundred 
pence, and the other fifty. And whereas they had not where- 
with to pay, he forgave them both. Which therefore of the 
two loveth him most ? Simon answering, said : I suppose that 
he, to whom he forgave most. And He said to him : Thou hast 
judged rightly. And turning to the woman, He said unto 
Simon : Dost thou see this woman ? I entered into thy house, 
thou gavest Me no water for My feet : but she with tears hath 
washed My feet, and with her hairs hath wiped them. Thou 
gavest Me no kiss : but she, since she came in, hath not ceased 

136 



HEALING OF THE BLIND AND DUMB 137 

to kiss My feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint : but 
she with ointment hath anointed My feet. Wherefore I say to 
thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved 
much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less. And He 
said to her : Thy sins are forgiven thee. And they that sat 
at meat with Him began to say within themselves: Who is 
this that f orgiveth sins also ? And He said to the woman : 
Thy faith had made thee safe : go in peace. 

"And it came to pass afterward, that He traveled through 
the cities and towns preaching and evangelizing the kingdom 
of God : and the twelve with Him, and certain women who had 
been healed of evil spirits and infirmities : Mary who is called 
Magdalen, out of whom seven devils were gone forth, and 
Joanna the wife of Chusa, Herod's steward, and Susanna, 
and many others who ministered unto Him of their sub- 
stance. ' ' 

Behold, how He whom angels serve, permits Himself, in 
His wearisome wanderings through the towns and cities of 
Judea, to be served by kind-hearted, pious women. Touching 
proof of Christ's condescension, as well as of gentle woman's 
pure and holy love ! 



CHAPTER XIX 



HEALING OF THE BLIND AND DUMB DEMONIAC. 
PERVERSION OF THE PHARISEES 

Matt. xii. 22-45; Mark iii. 20-30 

Jesus Christ was accused by His own people of madness, 
obsession, sedition, gluttony, and other sins. 

' ' And they come to a house : and the multitude cometh to- 
gether again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 
And when His friends had heard of it, they went out to lay 
hold on Him : for they said : He is become mad. Then was 
offered to Him one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb ; 
and He healed him, so that he spoke and saw. And all the 
multitudes were amazed and said : Is not this the son of 
David ? And the scribes who were come down from Jerusalem, 
said : He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of devils He 
casteth out devils. And after He had called them together, 



138 HEALIXO OF THE BLIND AND DUMB 

Imowing their thoughts. He said to them in parables : How 
can Satan east out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided 
against itself that kingdom can not stand. And if a house be 
divided against itself, that iiouse can not stand. And if 
Satan be risen up against himself, he is divided, and can 
not stand, but hath an end. Hoav then shall his kingdom 
stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do 
your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your 
judges. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out devils, then 
is the kingdom of God come upon you. No man can enter 
into the house of a strong man and rob him of his goods, 
unless he first bind the strong man, and then shall he plunder 
his house." 

Our Saviour having come upon earth in order to rescue 
souls from the power of Satan, how could He do otherwise 
than first conquer the prince of hell himself? Not in Beelze- 
bub's name, therefore, did Christ act, for it was in opposition 
to that demon's power that he had come; and none but the 
scribes and Pharisees, in their accursed blindness, could say 
the contrary. 

"He that is not with j\Ie, is against Me: and he that 
gathereth not with Me, scattereth. Therefore I say to you: 
Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but the blas- 
phemy of the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whosoever 
shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be for- 
given him : but he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, 
it shall not be forgiven him. neither in this woi-ld, nor in the 
world to come. He that .shall blaspheme against the Holy 
Ghost, shall never have forgiveness, but shall be guilty of an 
everlasting sin. Because they said. He hath an unclean spirit. 
Either make the tree good, and its fruit good : or make the 
tree evil, and its fruit evil : for by the fruit the tree is 
known. generation of vipers, how can you speak good 
things, whereas you are evil ? for out of the abundance of 
the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of a good 
treasure bringeth forth good things : and an evil man out of 
an evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto 
you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall 
render an account for it in the day of judgment. For by thy 
words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shall be 
condemned." 

This bold and severe language of our divine Master stirred 
up the scribes and Pharisees, who then challenged Him to 



THE MOTHER AND BRETHREN OF JESUS 139 

establish by miracle His right thus to speak. He directed 
their attention to the great miracle of His resurrection. 

"Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, 
saying : Master, we would see a sign from Thee. Who answer- 
ing, said to them: An evil and adulterous generation seeketh 
a sign : and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas 
the prophet. For as Jonas was in the whale's belly three 
days and three nights ; so shall the Son of man be in the heart 
of the earth three days and three nights. The men of Ninive 
shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall con- 
demn it : because they did penance at the preaching of Jonas. 
And behold a greater than Jonas here. The queen of the 
south shall rise in judgment with this generation and shall 
condemn it : because she came from the ends of the earth to 
hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold a greater than Solo- 
mon here. And when an unclean spirit is gone out of a man, 
he walketh through dry places seeking rest, and findeth none. 
Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I 
came out. And coming, he findeth it empty, swept, and 
garnished. Then he goeth, and taketh with him seven other 
spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell 
there: and the last state of that man is made worse than the 
first. So shall it be also to this wicked generation. ' ' 

The Jews had been chosen in their ancestor, Abraham, to 
be God's people; while the other nations were left to pagan- 
ism and under the dominion of Satan. Now these people 
reject the Messias, on M'hose account they were so favored, 
and who was to be the honor and glory of their race. There- 
fore they themselves pervert their chosen state into one of 
abandonment by God ; their malice is many times blacker 
than that of the ignorant heathen. 



CHAPTER XX 
THE MOTHER AND BRETHREN OF JESUS 

Matt. xii. 46-50; Mark iii. 31-35; Luke viii. 19-21 

Despite the care with which God segregated the Jewish 
people from pagan nations, they failed to correspond with 



no THE MOTHER AND BRETHREN OF JESUS 

His laws, and therefore fell under the tyranny of the Roman 
Empire. A few individuals, however, were chosen by Christ 
to be the spiritual progenitors of a new and universal family 
of Christians; His only real and true family who were to be 
dearer to Him than even the little circle of whom He was 
flesh and blood. He calls the members of this supernatural 
family His brethren ; for, being closely allied to Him by faith 
and practical charity, they are heirs of heaven and children 
of the heavenly Father. He calls them His mother ; because, 
being destined to spread by word and act the gospel of Christ, 
they thus reproduce Him in the hearts of unbelieving 
sinners. 

"As He was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold His 
mother and His brethren stood without, seeking to speak to 
Him ; and they could not come at Him for the crowd, and they 
sent unto Hi)u, calling Him, for the multitude sat about Him. 
And one said unto Him : Behold thy mother and thy brethren 
stand without, seeking thee. But He answering him that told 
Him, said: Who is My mother, and who are My brethren? 
And looking round about on them who sat about Him, and 
stretching forth His hand toward His disciples. He said: 
Behold ily mother and My brethren. For whosoever shall 
do the will of My Father that is in heaven, he is My brother, 
and sister, and mother." 

Every Christian knows that our Saviour had neither brother 
nor sister in the literal sense of the word, and that His ever- 
blessed mother always remained a virgin. By the word 
"brethren" is to be understood, according to the Hebrew 
mode of expression. His cousins. "Who is My mother, and 
who are My brethren?" Do not suppose that He who had 
been always so obedient to His parents, and who, in His very 
agony on the cross, was so solicitous about His beloved mo- 
ther, wished here to show any disrespect to His mother and 
relations, or to deny them as if ashamed of their poverty. 
no ; He wanted to prove to the people that He, as a teacher 
of heavenly wisdom and a supreme law-giver, was not only 
the Son of man and a member of a small human family, but 
that He was also the Son of God who had come down from 
heaven to be the pride, comfort, and joy, not of a few 
brothers and sisters only, but to be the salvation of all 
men. 



CHAPTER XXI 
JESUS PREACHES FROM THE SHIP 

Matt. xiii. 1-53; Mark iv. 1-34; Luke viii. 4-18 

1. The Small Beginnings of the Church. The Seed on 
THE Good Soil and the Seed on the Barren Ground 

Now, from the side of a vessel on the lake of Genesareth, 
Jesus gives the future history of this new kingdom; its rise 
and progress, its struggles and triumphs, and its final com- 
pletion on the day of judgment. But as this history of the 
Church constitutes the "mysteries of the kingdom," or the 
future destiny of His Church, He speaks in parables, whose 
meaning will be revealed only to the elect. 

"The same day Jesus going out of the house, again began 
to teach by the sea side : and a great multitude was gathered 
together unto Him so that He went up into a ship and sat, 
and all the multitude was upon the land by the sea side. And 
He taught them many things in parables, and said unto them 
in His doctrine : Hear ye : Behold, the sower went out to 
sow his seed. And whilst he soweth, some fell by the way 
side, and it was trodden down, and the birds of the air came, 
and ate it up. And other some fell upon stony ground where 
it had not much earth : and it shot up immediately, because 
it had no depth of earth. And when the sun was risen it was 
scorched, and because it had no root, it withered away. And 
some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked 
it, and it yielded no fruit. And some fell upon good ground : 
and brought forth fruit that grew up, and increased, and 
yielded, one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred. 
And He said : He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

"And when He was alone, the twelve that were with Him 
asked Him the parable, and said to Him : Why speakest thou 
to them in parables ? Who answered and said to them : Be- 
cause to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom 
of heaven : but to them that are without it is not given, all 
things are done in parables. For he that hath, to him shall 
be given, and he shall abound : but he that hath not, from him 
shall be taken away that also which he nath. Therefore do I 
speak to them in parables : because seeing they see not, and 
hearing they hear not, neither do they understand ; lest at 
any time they should be converted, and their sins should be 

141 



142 JESUS PREACHES FROi\I THE SHIP 

forgiven them. And the prophecy of Isaias is fulfilled in 
them, Avho saith : By hearing yoii shall hear, and shall not 
understand: and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive. 
For the heart of this people is grown gross, and with their 
ears they have been dull of hearing, and their eyes they have 
shut : lest at any time they sho\ild see with their eyes, and 
hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and 
be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your 
eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. For, 
amen I say to you, many prophets and just men have desired 
to see the things that you see, and have not seen them : and 
to hear the things that you hear, and have not heard them." 

Does our divine Master, then, wish that the Jews should be 
lost through not understanding His language? By no means. 
But they, by despising His ]ilain admonitions, had thus ren- 
dered themselves, as well as by Ihcir own malice, unworthy 
to understand the word of God. 

"And He saith to them: Are you ignorant of this parable? 
how shall you know all parables? Hear you therefore the 
parable of the sower. The seed is the word of God: he that 
soweth, soweth the word ; they by the way side, where the seed 
is sown, are they that hear. When any one heareth the word 
of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, there comefh the 
wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his 
heart : this is he that receiveth the seed by the way side. 
And he that receiveth the seed upon stony ground : this is 
he that heareth the word, and immediately receiveth it with 
joy. Yet hath he not root in himself, but is only for a time; 
and when there ariseth tribulation and persecution because 
of the word, he is presently scandalized. And he that receiveth 
the seed among thorns, is he that heareth the word, and the 
care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choketh up 
the word, and he becometh fruitless. But he that received 
the seed upon good ground, this is he that heareth the word, 
and understandeth, and beareth fruit, and yieldeth the one 
an hundredfold, and another sixty, and another thirty." 

2. The Destiny of the Church. The Parable of the 
Candle in the Candlestick 

Here we discover, in the seed, the germ or beginning of 
God's kingdom on earth, the word of Christ. Obscure and 
hidden at fij-st, like the seed in the clay, but destined one day 



JESUS PREACHES FROM THE SHIP 143 

to be a resplendent beacon-light, shedding its brilliant rays to 
the uttermost corners of the earth, and like a great tree 
sheltering all men under its branches. 

"And Jesus said: Now no man lighting a candle covereth 
it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed : but setteth it upon 
a candlestick, that they who come in may see the light. For 
there is not anything secret, that shall not be made manifest : 
nor hidden, that shall not be known and come abroad. Take 
heed therefore how you hear : if any man have ears to hear, 
let him hear." 

3. The Irrepressible Growth op the Church. The Para- 
ble OF THE Growing Seed, of the Wheat and the 
Tares, of the Mustard-Seed and the Leaven 

Like the seed, the Church will come forth and develop with 
irresistible power and vigor during all ages. Countless and 
mighty enemies may rise up against her from within and with- 
out, but they will wither as the tares in the parable : while 
she will become a stately tree, covering all men with her 
sheltering branches. The seed or germ of life is in her bosom, 
namely, divine truth and divine grace. This supernatural 
principle will quicken humanity, as the leaven quickens the 
flour, making it palatable and wholesome. 

* ' And He said : So is the kingdom of God, as if a man 
should cast seed into the earth, and should sleep, and rise, 
night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, 
whilst he knoweth not. For the earth of itself bringeth forth 
fruit, first the blade, then the ear, afterward the full corn 
in the ear, and when the fruit is brought forth, immediately 
he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. 

"Another parable He proposed to them, saying: The king- 
dom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seed in 
his field ; but while men were asleep, his enemy came and over- 
sowed cockle among the wheat, and went his way. And when 
the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit, then 
appeared also the cockle. And the servants of the good-man 
of the house coming, said to him : Sir, didst thou not sow good 
seed in thy field? whence then hath it cockle? And he said 
to them : An enemy hath done this. And the servants said 
to him. Wilt thou that we go and gather it up? And he 
said : No : lest perhaps gathering up the cockle, you root up 
the wheat also together with it. Suffer both to grow until 
the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the 



144 JESUS PREACHES FROM THE SHIP 

reapers: Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles 
to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn. ' ' 

"Another parable He proposed to them, saying: To what 
shall we liken the kingdom of God, or to what parable shall 
we compare it? The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of 
mustard-seed, which a man took and sowed in his field : which 
is the least indeed of all seeds that are in the earth : but when 
it is grown up, it becometh greater than all herbs, and be- 
cometh a tree, and shooteth out great branches, so that the 
birds of the air come, and dwell in the shadow thereof. An- 
other parable He spoke to them : The kingdom of heaven is 
like to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures 
of meal, until the whole was leavened. All these things Jesus 
spoke in parables to the multitudes, according as they were 
able to hear: and without parables He did not speak to them: 
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet 
saying: I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things 
hidden from the foundation of the world. But apart He 
explained all things to His disciples. Then having sent away 
the multitudes. He came into the house: and His disciples 
came to Him, saying : Expound to us the parable of the cockle 
of the field. Who made answer and said to them: He that 
soweth the good seed is the Son of man. And the field is the 
world. And the good seed are the children of the kingdom. 
And the cockle are the children of the wicked one. And the 
enemy that sowed them is the devil. But the harvest is the 
end of the world. And the reapers are the angels. Even as 
cockle therefore is gathered up and burnt with fire, so shall 
it be at the end of the world ; the Son of man shall send His 
angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all scandals 
and them that work iniquity: And shall cast them into the 
furnace of fire : There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 
Then shall the just shine as the sun, in the kingdom of their 
Father, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear, ' ' 

4, The Excellence of the Church. The Treasure in the 

Field. The Pe^vrl. The Aim of God's Church on Earth. 

The Parable of the Good and the Useless Fishes 

The supernatural wealth of truth and of saving grace be- 
queathed by Christ to His kingdom on earth, the Church, is 
the only really valuable good. Learning, gold, propertj^ 
honor, sensual enjoyment, can not be compared with these 
gifts from heaven. 



CHRIST STILLS THE STORM 145 

**The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in 
a field : which a man having found, hid it, and for joy thereof 
goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. 
Again the kingdom of heaven is like to a merchant seeking 
good pearls. Who when he had found one pearl of great 
price, went his way, and sold all that he had, and bought it. 
Again the kingdom of heaven is like to a net cast into the sea, 
and gathering together of all kinds of fishes; which, when it 
was filled, they drew out, and sitting by the shore, they chose 
out the good into vessels, but the bad they cast forth. So 
shall it be at the end of the world : the angels shall go out, 
and shall separate the wicked from among the just, and shall 
cast them into the furnace of fire ; there shall be weeping and 
gnashing of teeth. Have ye understood all these things? 
They say to Him : Yes. He said unto them : Therefore every 
scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven, is like to a man 
that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure 
new things and old. And it came to pass, when Jesus had 
finished these parables. He passed from thence." 

Let us lay this parable close to our hearts. He who finds 
the treasure in the field and squanders it; he who buys the 
pearl, but, through carelessness and levity, loses it— that is 
to say, the Christian who, after having been endowed with 
God's grace, despises and rejects it— can expect naught else, 
if he continue in his indifference, but to be cast avi^ay forever. 



CHAPTER XXII 
CHRIST STILLS THE STORM 

Matt. viii. 18-27; Mark iv. 35-40; Luke viii. 22-25 

Although the holy Catholic Church, by her divine origin, 
her supernatural riches, and her irresistible growth, proves 
herself to be the kingdom of God on earth, yet, because her 
lot is cast amid the wickedness of the world, she cannot escape 
the assaults and persecution. But she will not fail, nor even 
flinch, under the severest attacks. Inseparably united to 
Jesus, who is her anchor of safety, she Avill ride the wildest 
sea and withstand the fiercest blast; till, at the proper time, 



146 THE TWO PERSONS POSSESSED BY THE DEVIL 

when just as all seems lost, her divine Captain will awake, 
stand up, and say to her persecutors, "Be still." 

"And that same day, when evening was come, Jesus seeing 
great multitudes about Him, gave orders to pass over the 
water, saying: Let us pass over to the other side. And a 
certain scribe came and said to Him : Master, I will follow 
Thee whithersoever Thou shalt go. And Jesus saith to him: 
The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests; but the 
Son of man hath not where to lay His head. And another 
of His disciples said to Him : Lord, suffer me first to go and 
bury my father. But Jesus said to him : Follow Me, and let 
the dead bury their dead. And when He entered into the boat, 
His disciples followed Him, and sending away the multi- 
tudes, they take Him, even as He was, in the ship. There 
were other ships with them. And behold a great tempest 
arose in the sea, a storm of wind and Avave, so that the ship 
was filled and covered with waves, and was in danger. But 
Jesus Avas asleep on a pillow in the hinder part of the ship. 
And His disciples came to Him, and awaked Him, saying: 
Lord, save us, we perish ! INIaster, doth it not concern Thee 
that we perish? And Jesus saith to them: Why are you 
fearful, ye of little faith? Have ye not faith yet? Then 
rising up. He commanded the winds and the sea, saying: 
Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there came a great 
calm. And He said to them: Where is your faith? But they 
feared exceedingly, and said, wondering, one to another : Who 
is this, thinkest thou, that both wind and sea obey Him? 
What manner of man is this ? ' ' 



CHAPTER XXIII 

THE TWO PERSONS POSSESSED BY THE DEVIL IN 
THE LAND OF THE GERASENS 

Matt. viii. 28-34; Mark v. 1-20; Luke viii. 26-39 

Unblemished purity and holiness, such as the Saviour's, 
are always an object of horror to the evil spirit. 

' ' And they came over the strait of the sea into the country 
of the Gerasens, which is over against Galilee. And as Jesus 
Avent out of the ship to the land, immediately there met Him 



IN THE LAND OF THE GERASENS 147 

out of the monuments a man with an unclean spirit^ now a 
very long time; and he wore no garments, neither did he 
abide in a house : who had his dwelling in the tombs, and no 
man now could bind him even with chains. For having been 
often bound with fetters and chains, he had burst the chains, 
and broken the fetters in pieces, and no one could tame him; 
and he was always day and night in the monuments and in 
the mountains, crying and cutting himself with stones, and 
exceeding fierce, so that none could pass by that way. And 
seeing Jesus afar off, he ran and adored Him. And crying 
out with a loud voice, he said : What have I to do with Thee, 
Jesus the Son of the most high God? Art thou come hither 
to torment us before the time? I adjure Thee by God that 
thou torment me not.^ For He said unto him : Go out of the 
man, thou unclean spirit. And Jesus asked him : What is 
thy name ? And he saith to Him : My name is Legion, for we 
are many. And the devils besought Him much that He would 
not drive them away out of the country, nor command them 
to go into the abyss. And there was there near the mountain, 
a great herd of swine, feeding. And the spirits besought 
Him, saying : If thou cast us out, send us into the swine, that 
we may enter into them. And Jesus immediately gave them, 
leave. And the unclean spirits going out, entered into the 
swine : and the herd with great violence was carried headlong 
down a steep place into the sea, being about 2000, and were 
stifled in the waters." 

In this thrilling occurrence we discover a great and two- 
fold mystery: the mystery of Christ's power, as well also as 
that of the evil spirit. Man having, through sin, rebelled 
against God, Avas, in punishment of his disloyalty, made sub- 
ject, himself and all creation of which he had once been the 
master, to the power of the devil. How appalling this power 
of the devil was over men and senseless creatures, when per- 
mitted by God, is seen in the miracle at Gerasa. But this 
power crumbles before the might of the Son of man. 

"And they that fed them fled, and told it in the city, and 
in the fields, and in the villages. And the whole city went 
out to see what was done. And they come to Jesus : and they 
see him that was troubled with the devil, sitting at the feet 

'St. Matthew speaks of a second possessed person who accompanied 
the above, and who also approached Jesus. 

^It is the devil, not the possessed man, who utters these words. The 
latter is the unwilling agent of the former. 



148 JESUS HEALS THE WOMAN 

of Jesus, clothed, and well in his wits, and they were afraid. 
And they that had seen it, told them in what manner he had 
been dealt with, who had the devil, and concerning the swine. 
And the multitude of the country of the Gerasens began to 
pray Him that He would depart from their coasts, for they 
were taken with great fear. And when Jesus went up into 
the ship. He that had been troubled with the devil began to 
beseech Him that He might be with Him, and He admitted 
him not, but saith to him : Go into thy house to thy friends, 
and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, 
and hath had mercy on thee. And he went his way and began 
to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for 
him: and all men wondered." 



CHAPTER XXIV 

JESUS HEALS THE WOMAN WITH AN ISSUE OF 

BLOOD. HE RAISES THE DAUGHTER 

OF JAIRUS FROM THE DEAD 

Matt. ix. 18-26; Mark v. 21-43; Luke viii. 40-56 

Are we to look upon the various miracles of Christ as mere 
passing events? Certainly not. They are overflowing Avith 
consolation for the afflicted and the needy of all times. The 
arm of Him who, eighteen centuries ago, healed the sick and 
raised the dead to life by a single word, and even by the 
touch of His garment, is not yet weakened, nor is His mercy 
diminished. 

"And when Jesus had passed again in the ship over the 
strait, a great multitude assembled together unto Him wait- 
ing: and He was nigh unto the sea. And there cometh one 
of the rulers of the sj'nagogue named Jairus : and seeing 
Jesus, falleth down at His feet. And he besought Him much 
that He would come into his house, saying: My daughter is 
at the point of death ; come, lay thy hand upon her, that she 
may be safe, and may live. And Jesus went with him, and 
a great multitude followed Him, and they thronged Him. 
And a woman came who was under an issue of blood twelve 
years, and had suffered many things from many physicians, 



WITH AN ISSUE OF BLOOD 149 

and had spent all that she had, and was nothing the better, 
but rather worse. When she had heard of Jesus, she came in 
the crowd behind Him, and touched the hem of His garment. 
For, she said, if I shall touch but His garment, I shall be 
whole. And forthwith the fountain of her blood was dried 
up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the evil. 
And immediately Jesus knowing in Himself the virtue that 
had proceeded from Him, turning to the multitude, said : 
Who hath touched My garments? And all denying, Peter 
and they that were with Him, said, Master, thou seest the 
multitude thronging and pressing Thee, and sayest thou : 
Who hath touched Me? And Jesus said. Somebody hath 
touched Me; for I know that a virtue is gone out from Me. 
And He looked about to see her who had done this. But the 
woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in 
her, seeing she was not hid, came and fell down before Him, 
and told Him all the truth, and declared before all the people, 
for what cause she had touched Him, and how she was im- 
mediately cured. And He said to her: Daughter, thy faith 
hath made thee whole : go in peace, and be thou whole of thy 
disease. And the woman was made whole from that hour." 
"While He was yet speaking, some come from the ruler of 
the synagogue's house, saying: Thy daughter is dead: why 
dost thou trouble the Master any farther? But Jesus having 
heard the word that was spoken, saith to the ruler of the 
synagogue : Fear not : only believe, and she shall be safe. And 
He admitted not any man to follow Him, but Peter, and 
James, and John the brother of James. And they come to 
the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and he seeth a tumult, 
and people weeping and wailing much. And going in. He 
saith to them : Why make you this ado, and weep ? the damsel 
is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed Him to scorn, 
knowing that she was dead. But He having put them all 
out, taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and 
them that were with Him, and entereth in where the damsel 
was lying. And taking the damsel by the hand. He saith to 
her : Talitha cumi, which is, being interpreted, Damsel ( I say 
to thee) arise; and her spirit returned, and immediately the 
damsel rose up, and walked : and she was twelve years old : 
and they were astonished with a great astonishment. And 
He charged them strictly that no man should know it; and 
commanded that something should be given her to eat, and 
the fame thereof spread abroad into all that country." 



CHAPTER XXV 

THE HEALING OF TWO BLIND MEN, AND OF ONE 

POSSESSED BY A DEVIL. THE SECOND 

VISIT OF JESUS TO NAZARETH 

Matt. ix. 27-38 ; xiii. 54-58 ; Mark vi. 1-6 

"And as Jesus passed from thence, there followed Him 
two blind men crying out and saying. Have mercy on us, 
Son of David. And when He was come to the house, the blind 
men came to Him. And Jesus saith to them : Do you believe 
that I can do this unto you? They say to Him: Yea, Lord. 
Then He touched their eyes, saying : According to your faith, 
be it done unto you. And their eyes were opened : and Jesus 
strictly charged them, saying: See that no man know this. 
But they going out, spread His fame abroad in all that coun- 
try. And when they were gone out, behold they brought Him 
a dumb man, possessed with a devil. And after the devil 
was cast out, the dumb man spoke, and the multitudes won- 
dered, saying: Never was the like seen in Israel. But the 
Pharisees said : By the prince of devils He casteth out devils." 

Christ had already completely refuted this senseless and 
diabolical calumny. Yet the Pharisees repeat it with insolent 
boldness, just as if they had not heard its contradiction 
proved. 

2. "And going out from thence, Jesus went into His own 
country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the 
Sabbath was come. He began to teach in the synagogue ; and 
many hearing Him, were in admiration at His doctrine, say- 
ing : How came this man by all these things ? and what wisdom 
is this that is given to Him, and such mighty works as are 
wrought by His hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of 
Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph, and Jude, and 
Simon? are not also His sisters here with us? Whence there- 
fore hath He all these things? And they were scandalized in 
regard of Him. And Jesus said to them : A prophet is not 
without honor, but in his own country, and in his own house, 
and among his own kindred. And He could not do any 
miracle there, because of their unbelief, only that He cured 
a few that were sick, laying His hands upon them. And He 
wondered because of their unbelief, and He went through the 
villages round about teaching. 

"And Jesus Avent about all the cities and towns, teaching 

150 



THE BEHEADING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST 151 

in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the king- 
dom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. And 
seeing the multitudes, He had compassion on them, because 
they were distressed, and lying like sheep that have no shep- 
herd. Then He saith to His disciples, The harvest indeed is 
great, but the laborers are few ; pray ye therefore the Lord 
of the harvest, that He send forth laborers into His harvest. 
"And it came to pass when Jesus had made an end of 
commanding His twelve disciples. He passed from thence to 
teach and preach in their cities. And going forth, they 
preached that men should do penance ; and they cast out many 
devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed 
them." 



CHAPTER XXVI 
THE BEHEADING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST 

Matt. xiv. 1-13; Mark vi. 14-29; Luke ix. 7-9 

Herod had cast St. John the Baptist into prison. For 
nearly two years, this man of God had languished in chains. 
At last the day dawned upon which he was to receive the 
palm of victory from the hand of the tyrant, and to mark 
with his martyr-blood the way he had prepared for Him who 
had come to give testimony, even by His death on the cross, 
to grace and truth. 

"Now King Herod the tetrarch heard of all things that 
were done by Jesus, and he was in a doubt because it was 
said by some, that John was risen from the dead : but by other 
some, that Elias hath appeared : and by others, that one of the 
old prophets was risen again. And Herod said : John I have 
beheaded ; but who is this of whom I hear such things ? And 
he sought to see Jesus, for His name was made manifest. And 
King Herod said to his servants : John the Baptist is risen 
again from the dead ! and therefore mighty works show forth 
themselves in him. And others said : It is Elias. But others 
said: It is a prophet, as one of the prophets. Which Herod 
hearing, said : John whom I beheaded, he is again risen from 
the dead ! For Herod himself had sent and apprehended 
John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, the 
wife of Philip his brother, because he had married her. For 
John said to Herod : It is not lawful for thee to have thy 
brother's wife. And having a mind to put him to death, he 



152 JESUS FEEDS THE FIVE THOUSAND MEN 

feared the people; because they esteemed him as a prophet. 
Now Herodias laid snares for him : and was desirous to put 
him to death and could not. For Herod feared John, know- 
ing him to be a just and holy man : and kept him, and when 
he heard him, did many things: and he heard him willingly. 
And when a convenient day was come, Herod made a supper 
for his birthday, for the princes, and tribunes, and chief men 
of Galilee; and when the daughter of the same Herodias had 
come in, and had danced, and pleased Herod, and them that 
were at table with him ; the king said to the damsel : Ask of 
me what thou wilt, and I will give it thee : And he swore to 
her : "Whatsoever thou shalt ask I will give thee, though it be 
the half of my kingdom. AVho when she was gone out, said 
to her motlier : AMiat shall I ask ? But she said : The head of 
John the Baptist. And when she was come in immediately 
with haste to the king, she asked, saying: I will that forth- 
with thou give me in a dish the head of John the Baptist. 
And the king was struck sad : yet because of his oath, and 
because of them that were with him at table, he would not 
displease her ; but sending an executioner, he commanded that 
his head should be brought in a dish. And he beheaded him 
in the prison, and brought his head in a dish : and gave it to 
the damsel, and the damsel gave it to her mother. Which his 
disciples hearing came, and took his body: and laid it in a 
tomb, and came and told Jesus." 

So died the last and greatest prophet of the old law; clos- 
ing by his death that long list of noble prophet-martyrs of 
which Isaias M'as the first. Christendom commemorates every 
year, on the twenty-ninth of August, the triumph of the 
Baptist ; and for all time to come his name will be honored, 
praised, and glorified. 



CHAPTER XXVII 
JESUS FEEDS THE FIVE THOUSAND MEN 

Matt. xiv. 13-21; Mark vi. 30-44; Luke ix. 10-17; John vi. 1-14 

"When Jesus had heard" (of the beheading of John the 
Baptist) "he retired from thence. And the apostles coming 
together unto Jesus, related to Him all things that they had 
done and taught. And He said to them: Come apart into a 
desert-place, and rest a little: for there were many coming 



JESUS FEEDS THE FIVE THOUSAND MEN 153 

and going, and they had not so much time as to eat. And 
going up into a ship, they went into a desert-place apart which 
belongeth to Bethsaida : over the sea of Galilee, which is that 
of Tiberias : and they saw them going away and many knew 
it : and they ran flocking thither on foot from all the cities 
and were there before Him. And a great multitude followed 
Him, because they saw the miracles which He did on them 
that were diseased. 

"And Jesus going out saw a great multitude, and He had 
compassion on them, because they were as sheep not having a 
shepherd. And He went up into a mountain, and there He 
sat with His disciples. Now the Pasch, the festival-day of 
the Jews, was near at hand, and He began to teach them many 
things, and to speak to them of the kingdom of God, and 
healed their sick and them who were in need of healing. 
And when the day was now far spent, His disciples came to 
Him, saying : This is a desert-place and the hour is now past, 
send them away that going into the next villages and towns, 
they may buy themselves meat to eat. But Jesus said to 
them : They have no need to go ; give you them to eat. And 
they said to Him: Let us go and buy bread for 200 pence 
and we shall give them to eat. 

"When Jesus had lifted up His eyes, and seen that a very 
great multitude cometh to Him, He said to Philip : Whence 
shall we buy bread that they may eat? and this He said to 
try him; for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip 
answered Him : Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not 
sufficient for them; that every one may take a little. But 
He saith to His disciples: How many loaves have you? An- 
drew, the brother of Simon Peter, saith to Him: There is a 
boy here that hath five barley loaves and two fishes : but what 
are these among so many? And He said to His disciples: 
Bring them hither to Me." 

What contracted notions the apostles still retained! and 
how limited their faith and charity ! Five thousand men, not 
to speak of the women and children, who had eagerly and 
devotedly followed Jesus into the desert, must take their de- 
parture although it was nightfall, and each one look out for 
something to eat, as best he could. It never occurred to their 
minds, that He, who made all things out of nothing, who pours 
out the horn of plenty in order to feed the whole world, could 
with one word procure food for all here present, instead of 
sending them away hungry and exhausted. 



154 JESUS WALKS ON THE WATER 

"And Jesus commanded them that they should make them 
all sit down by companies upon the green grass. For there 
was much grass in the place, and they did so; and He made 
them all sit down in ranks by hundreds and by fifties. The 
men therefore sat down in number about 5000. And Jesus 
taking the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to 
heaven, and when He had given thanks, blessed them, and 
broke the loaves, and distributed them to His disciples to set 
before the multitude : and the disciples gave to the multitudes 
that were sat down. In like manner also of the fishes. He 
divided among them all, as much as they would ; and they 
did all eat and were filled. And when they were filled. He 
said to His disciples. Gather up the fragments that remain, 
lest they be lost. They gathered up therefore and filled 
twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, 
which remained over and above to them that had eaten, and 
of the fishes. And the number of those that did eat were 
5000 men, besides women and cliildren. Now those men when 
they had seen what a miracle Jesus had done, said: This is, 
of a truth, the prophet that is to come into the world." 

Great and glorious Redeemer of the world ! How rich thou 
art in love, how strong in miracle! The impoverished and 
straitened head of a hungry family turns to Thee, the afflicted 
and helpless call on Thee, their almighty Lord, with un- 
bounded confidence and firmest faith. The Lord will not for- 
sake His servants, but will aid them abundantly even when 
their fellow-man would spare and refuse. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 

JESUS WALKS ON THE WATER AND CALMS AN- 
OTHER STORM. PETER WALKS ON THE WATER 

Matt. xiv. 22-34; Mark vi. 45-53; John vi. 15-24 

"Jesus therefore, when He knew that they would come to 
take Him by force, and make Him a king, immediately obliged 
His disciples to go into the ship, that they might go before 
Him over the water, to the city of Bethsaida, while He dis- 
missed the people. And having dismissed the multitude, He 
fled again Himself alone into the mountain to pray. And 
when evening was come His disciples went down to the sea; 
they went over the sea to Capharnaum, And it was now dark, 



JESUS THE BREAD OF LIFE 155 

and Jesus was not come unto them, but He was alone on the 
land. The boat in the midst of the sea was tossed with the 
waves. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that 
blew, and Jesus saw them laboring in rowing, for the wind 
was against them. ' ' 

"About the fourth watch of the night. He cometh to them 
walking upon the sea. When they had rowed therefore about 
five-and-twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking 
upon the sea, and drawing nigh to the ship. And He would 
have passed by them, but they seeing Him walking upon the 
sea thought it was an apparition, and were troubled. They 
cried out for fear, saying: It is an apparition. For they all 
saw Him, and immediately Jesus spoke to them, and said : 
Have a good heart, it is I, fear not." 

"And Peter making answer, said: Lord, if it be Thou, 
bid me come to thee upon the waters. And He said : Come. 
And Peter coming down out of the boat^ walked upon the 
water, to come to Jesus. But seeing the wind strong, he was 
afraid; and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying: 
Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His 
hand, took hold of him, and said to him: thou of little 
faith, why didst thou doubt ? ' ' 

' ' And He went up to them into the ship ; and when they 
were coming to the ship, the wind ceased. And they were 
far more astonished within themselves, for they understood 
not concerning the loaves, for their heart was blinded. And 
they that were in the boat came and adored Him, saying: 
Indeed, Thou art the Son of God. And presently the ship 
was at the land to which they were going, and they came into 
the land of Genesareth. ' ' 

What a grand exhibition of the divine power of the Son of 
God! He steps upon the storm-tossed waters and the angry 
sea lies quiet under His foot. 



CHAPTER XXIX 

JESUS THE BREAD OF LIFE. HE PROMISES THE 
HOLY EUCHARIST 

John vi. 22; vii. 1; Mark vi. 54-56 

"Loudly praise the Lord, magnify and glorify His name; 
adore Him in His holy house." Where is this holy house of 



156 JESUS THE BREAD OF LIFE 

the Lord, the house of the iufinite God whom heaven and 
earth can not contain? It is the tabernacle on our altars. 
Here dwells the Lord, the God made man, whose delight it is 
to be with the children of men. Here He abides in the mys- 
tery of His love, the veritable bread of life which He ordained 
in the supper-room at Jerusalem, on the eve of His passion 
and death, and which He had promised a year before in the 
synagogue at Capharnaum. Let us read the memorable words 
of this promise as given us in the Gospel according to 
St. John. 

"The next day, the multitude that stood on the other side 
of the sea, saw there was no other ship there but one, and that 
Jesus had not entered into the ship with His disciples, but 
that His disciples were gone away alone : But other ships 
came in from Tiberias, nigh unto the place where they had 
eaten the bread, the Lord giving thanks. When therefore 
the multitude saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, 
they took shipping, and came to Capharnaum seeking for 
Jesus. And when they had found Him on the other side of 
the sea, they said to Him: Rabbi, when camest thou hither? 
Jesus answered them, and said : Amen, amen I say to you : 
you seek Me not because you have seen miracles, but because 
you did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labor not for the 
meat which perisheth, but for that which endureth unto life 
everlasting, which the Son of man will give you. For Him 
hath God the Father sealed." 

Observe how the wisest of teachers prepares the people by 
gently calling their attention from earthly to heavenly food ; 
from natural to supernatural bread. This was the aim and 
object of the miraculous multiplication of the loaves on 
the day before, namely, to open the sense and under- 
standing of His hearers to the heavenly manna of the New 
Testament. 

' ' They said therefore unto Him : "What shall we do that we 
may work the works of God? Jesus answered, and said to 
them : This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom 
He hath sent. They said therefore to Him: What sign there- 
fore dost Thou shew that we may see, and may believe Thee ? 
what dost Thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the 
desert as it is written : He gave them bread from heaven to 
eat. Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say to you, 
Moses gave you not bread from heaven, but My Father 
giveth you the true bread from heaven, for the bread of God 



HE PROMISES THE HOLY EUCHARIST 157 

is that which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life to 
the world. They said therefore unto Him: Lord, give us 
always this bread. And Jesus said to them: I am the bread 
of life : he that cometh to Me shall not hunger : and he that 
believeth in Me, shall never thirst. But I said unto you, 
that you also have seen Me, and you believe not. All that 
the Father giveth Me, shall come to Me : and him that cometh 
to Me, I will not cast out : because I came down from heaven, 
not to do My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. 
Now this is the will of the Father who sent Me : that of all 
that He hath given Me, I should lose nothing, but should 
raise it up again in the last day. And this is the will of My 
Father that sent Me : that every one who seeth the Son, and 
believeth in Him, may have life everlasting, and I will raise 
him up in the last day." 

This is precisely the aim of the Blessed Sacrament, namely, 
to unite us so intimately with Christ that we may obtain a 
share in His divine-human life and become united to Him 
forever. 

"The Jews therefore murmured at Him, because He had 
said : I am the living bread which came down from heaven, 
and they said : Is not this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose 
father and mother we know ? How then saith He : I came 
down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said to 
them : Murmur not among yourselves : No man can come to 
Me, except the Father, who hath sent Me, draw Him: and I 
will raise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets : 
And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath 
heard of the Father, and hath learned, cometh to Me. Not 
that any man hath seen the Father, but He who is of God, He 
hath seen the Father. Amen, amen I say unto you: He that 
believeth in Me, hath everlasting life." 

For only the true and firm believer, that is. He who having 
received from the Father the gift of faith, has dutifully co- 
operated therewith, can receive the heavenly bread worthily, 
and find in it the pledge of everlasting life. 

"I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in 
the desert, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh 
down from heaven : that if any man eat of it he may not die. 
I am the living bread, which came down from heaven. If 
any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the 
bread that I will give, is My flesh for the life of the world. 
The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying: How 



158 JESUS THE BREAD OF LIFE 

can this man give iis His flesh to eat? Then Jesus said to 
them : Amen, amen I say unto you : Except you eat the flesh 
of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you shall not have 
life in you. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, 
hath everlasting life : and I will raise him up in the last day. 
For ]\Iy flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed: 
He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, abideth in 
Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and 
I live by the Father : so he that eateth Me, the same also shall 
live by Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. 
Not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. He that 
eateth this bread, shall live for ever. These things He said 
teaching in the synagogue, in Capharnaum." 

Our divine Master here promises the Blessed Sacrament of 
the altar in the clearest and most indisputable words. Erring 
teachers may assert that the words to "eat My flesh and drink 
My blood," are not to be taken literally, but figuratively, as 
meaning to believe in Christ and to love Him. This is a false 
construction ; for, in the first place, to eat * ' the flesh of a 
person," when used figuratively in Hebrew or any other of 
the Oriental languages, never means to believe in Him or to 
love him, but on the contrary, to hate and to abuse him. So 
we find in the Book of Job : ' ' Why do you persecute me, and 
glut yourselves with my flesh?" (Job xix. 22.) Again we 
read in the twenty-sixth Psalm : ' ' Whilst the wicked draw 
near against me, to eat my flesh. ' ' 

In the second place, Christ did not need to exact belief in 
His flesh and blood, that is, in His humanity. The Jews 
believed completely, for they had it before their eyes. Were 
He speaking of pure and spiritual belief, He would not re- 
quire belief in His flesh and blood, but in His divinity, and 
would have said : ' ' Unless you eat of the Godhead of the Son 
of man and drink," etc. 

In the third place, this Christ who was to be believed had 
already come down from heaven and was there present, whilst 
the mystic bread of which He spoke was something to come 
in the future: "The bread which I ivill give you," etc. 

Finally, although the Jews understood the Saviour's words 
literally, yet He gave them no explanation, as a kind teacher 
would naturally have done, and as He was wont to do in their 
unintentional misunderstandings. On the contrary, He re- 
peats and strengthens His apparently objectionable language, 
although He sees the falling away of many, and calls their 




Martin Feuerstein 



C'oliyrif^ht by Beiizij^iT ISrothers 



The Great High Priest 



HE PROMISES THE HOLY EUCHARIST 159 

attention to another and more palpable miracle, that of His 
ascension. 

"Many therefore of His disciples hearing it, said: This 
saying is hard, and who can hear it? But Jesus knowing in 
Himself that His disciples murmured at this, said to them: 
Doth this scandalize you? If then you shall see the Son of 
man ascend up where He was before? It is the spirit that 
quickeneth : the flesh profiteth nothing : the words that I have 
spoken to you, are spirit and life. But there are some of 
you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning 
who they were that did not believe, and who he was that 
would betray Him. And He said : Therefore did I say to you, 
that no man can come to Me, unless it be given Him by My 
Father." 

Jesus in speaking of the flesh that profiteth nothing, does 
not mean His own humanity, otherwise He would not have 
assumed a fleshly body, and the sick would not have been 
healed by contact with His garments. When the Holy Scrip- 
ture uses the word flesh as opposed to spirit, it understands 
by the latter the nobler and more elevated part of man's 
nature— such as the faculties of the soul, and the disposition 
and capacity for faith— whilst by flesh is meant the less 
worthy part of our nature, which rebels against faith in the 
unseen. In this sense, the apostle Paul writes to the Romans : 
"The wisdom of the flesh is death: but the wisdom of the 
spirit is life and peace" {Rom. viii. 6). 

"After this many of His disciples went back: and walked 
no more with Him. Then Jesus said to the twelve : Will you 
also go away? And Simon Peter answered Him: Lord, to 
whom shall we go ? Thou hast the words of eternal life ; and 
we have believed and have known that Thou art the Christ the 
Son of God. Jesus answered them : Have not I chosen you 
twelve: and one of you is a devil? Now He meant Judas 
Iscariot, the son of Simon : for this same was about to betray 
Him, whereas he was one of the twelve." 

"After these things Jesus walked in Galilee, for He would 
not walk in Judea : because the Jews sought to kill Him. And 
running through that whole country, they began to carry 
about in beds those that were sick, where they heard He was. 
And whithersoever He entered, into towns or into villages or 
cities, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought Him that 
they might touch but the hem of His garment, and as many 
as touched Him were made whole." 



IV 

THE MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST, FROM THE 

THIRD PASSOVER AFTER HIS BAPTISM IN 

THE JORDAN UNTIL THE FOURTH 

PASSOVER, THAT IS, TILL THE 

WEEK OP HIS PASSION 



CHAPTER XXX 

THE DIFFERENCE BETAVEEN OUTWARD RIGHT- 
EOUSNESS AND INTERNAL PURITY 
OF THE HEART 

Matt. XV. 1-20; Mark vii. 1-23 

The ^reat difference between the moral system of Christ 
and that of the Pharisees was, that they made theirs consist 
in a mere outward observance of the law, whilst Christ re- 
quired purity of heart, innocence of soul, and true, living 
charity. They held that man was justified by this external 
observance, whilst Christ exacts the sanctification of the in- 
ternal man above all else, and recognizes only such works as 
pleasing and meritorious before God as are actuated by faith 
and love toward Him. Hence the Saviour's severe rebuke to 
the Pharisees. 

"And there assembled together unto Him the Pharisees 
and some of the scribes, coming from Jerusalem. And when 
they had seen some of His disciples eat bread with common, 
that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. For the 
Pharisees and all the Jews eat not without often washing 
their hands, holding the tradition of the ancients. And when 
they come from the market, unless they be washed, they eat 
not : and many other things there are that have been delivered 
to them to observe, the washings of cups and of pots, and of 
brazen vessels and of beds. And the Pharisees and scribes 
asked Jesus : Why do not thy disciples walk according to the 
tradition of the ancients, but they eat bread with common 
hands ? But He answering, said to them : Why do you also 
transgress the commandment of God for your tradition ? For 
God said: Honor thy father and mother; and, he that shall 

160 



RIGHTEOUSNESS AND INTERNAL PURITY 161 

curse father or mother, let him die the death. But you say: 
Whosoever shall say to father or mother, Corban,^ the gift 
whatsoever proceedeth from me, shall profit thee ; and farther 
you suffer him not to do anything for his father and mother ; 
he shall not honor his father or his mother : and you have 
made void the commandment of God for your tradition. 
Hypocrites, well hath Isaias prophesied of you, saying : This 
people honoreth Me with their lips : but their heart is far 
from Me. And in vain do they worship Me, teaching doc- 
trines and commandments of men. For leaving the command- 
ment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washings of 
pots and of cups : and many other things you do like to 
these." 

In order to obtain abundant alms for themselves, and to 
secure large donations for the temple, the Jewish priests 
preached the impious doctrine that offerings made to the 
temple were more pleasing to God than the proper mainte- 
nance of one's own aged and helpless parents. The Catholic 
Church teaches that sons and daughters must sacrifice to the 
proper support of their aged parents every desire, even the 
desire to enter the most perfect Religious Order. 

"And having again called together the multitudes unto 
Him He said to them : Hear ye Me all, and understand. Not 
that which from without goeth into the mouth defileth a man : 
but what Cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. If 
any man have ears to hear, let him hear. Then came His 
disciples, when He was come into the house from the multi- 
tude, and said to Him: Dost Thou know that the Pharisees, 
when they heard this word, were scandalized? But He 
answering, said : Every plant which My heavenly Father hath 
not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they are 
blind, and leaders of the blind ; and if the blind lead the blind 
both fall into the pit. And Peter answering said to Him: 
Expound to us this parable. But He said : Are you also yet 
without understanding? Do you not understand, that what- 
soever from without entereth into the mouth can not defile 
a man, because it entereth not into his heart, but goeth into 
the belly, and is cast out into the privy, purging all meats? 
But the things which proceed out of the mouth, come forth 
from the heart, and those things defile a man : for from the 
heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornica- 
tions, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies ; these are the 

^Corban is an expression meaning "Let God take care of you." 



162 JESUS CURES THE DAUGHTER OF 

things that defile a man. But to eat with unwashed hands 
doth not defile a man." 

The Pharisees affected to believe that uneleanness of the 
hands was communicated to the food and thereby to the soul 
— an absurd eonfoundins: of the spiritual with the material. 
St. Paul, too, in his epistle to Timothy, condemns those who 
require abstinence from certain meats, whereas everything 
created by God is good. It is self-evident that the ancient 
and pious practice of fasting and of abstaining from certain 
kinds of food, on certain days, is not here forbidden. For 
the object of fasting is not to despise God's gifts, but to 
mortify our senses and to establish the mastery of the soul 
over the flesh. 



CHAPTER XXXI 

JESUS CURES THE DAUGHTER OF THE WOMAN OF 

CHANAAN AND THE MAN THAT 

WAS DEAF AND DUMB 

Matt. XV. 21-29; Mark vii. 24-37 

"And rising from thence He went into the coasts of Tyre 
and Sidon :^ and entering into a house, He would that no man 
should know it, and He could not be hid. For a woman as 
soon as she heard of Him, whose daughter had an unclean 
spirit, came in and fell down at His feet, crying out, said to 
Him: Have mercy on me, Lord, thou son of David: my 
daughter is grievously troubled by a devil. Jesus answered 
her not a word. And His disciples came and besought Him, 
sajnng: Send her away: for she crieth after us. And He 
answering, said : I was not sent but to the sheep that are lost 
of the house of Israel. For the woman was a Gentile, a 
Syrophenician born. But she came and adored Him, saying: 
Lord, help me. And she besought Him that He would cast 
forth a devil out of her daughter. Who said to her: Suffer 
first the children to be filled: for it is not good to take the 

^This was the country of the pagan Phenicians. Our Lord's visit w&s 
but a passing one, for the time had not yet come for the heathen to 
receive the full and complete blessing of salvation. Hence our Lord's 
apparent sternness to the woman of Chanaan. 



THE WOMAN OF CHANAAN 163 

bread of the children, and east it to the dogs. But she 
answered, and said to Him : Yea, Lord, for the whelps also 
eat under the table of their masters the crumbs of the chil- 
dren. Then Jesus answering, said to her: woman, great 
is thy faith : be it done to thee as thou wilt. For this saying, 
go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And her 
daughter was cured from that hour. And when she was come 
into her house, she found the girl lying upon the bed, and that 
the devil was gone out." 

2. "And again going out of the coasts of Tyre, He came 
by Sidon to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts 
of Decapolis. And they bring to Him one deaf and dumb ; 
and they besought Him that He would lay His hand upon 
him. And taking him from the multitude apart, He put His 
fingers into his ears, and spitting, He touched his tongue: 
and looking up to heaven. He groaned, and said to him: 
Ephpheta, which is. Be thou opened. And immediately his 
ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and 
he spoke right. And He charged them that they should tell 
no man. But the more He charged them, so much the more 
a great deal did they publish it : and so much the more did 
they wonder, saying: He hath done all things well: He hath 
made both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. ' ' 

Every man born into the world resembles this object of 
Christ's compassion. For, owing to the sin of our first par- 
ents, every child of Adam is deaf, that is, incapable of em- 
bracing supernatural truth ; as well as dumb, that is, unable 
to give glory to God in anything. It is only in the sacrament 
of Baptism that the ear of the soul is opened and its tongue 
loosened. The regenerating waters of this sacrament effect a 
miraculous change in man, for he is enabled by grace, not 
only to hear the truth, but to lay it up in his soul with super- 
natural conviction and understanding, and also to live by this 
saving truth. He receives the faculty, not only to express 
outwardly with his lips this religious conviction, but also so 
to profess his faith, that a mysterious power leading to salva- 
tion will accompany this profession. This effect is symbolized 
when the priest touches with saliva the ear and mouth of 
the one to be baptized, saying: "Ephpheta, be thou opened." 



CHAPTER XXXII 

JESUS FEEDS FOUR THOUSAND MEN WITH SEVEN 

LOAVES. THE SIGN OF JONAS. THE 

DISCIPLES' WANT OF FAITH. THE 

BLIND MAN AT BETHSAIDA 

Matt. XV. 30; xvi. 1-12; Mark viii. 1-26 

1. The Miraculous Multiplication of the Seven Loaves 

"In those days when Jesus had passed away from thence, 
He came nigh the sea of Galilee: and going up into a moun- 
tain He sat there. And there came to Him great multitudes, 
having with them the dumb, the blind, the lame, the maimed, 
and many others; and they cast them down at His feet, and 
He healed them: so that the multitudes marvelled seeing the 
dumb speak, the lame Avalk, the blind see : and they glorified 
the God of Israel. And the nuiltitude had nothing to eat. 
And Jesus called together His disciples, and said : I have com- 
passion on the multitude, because they continue with Me, now 
three days, and have not what to eat : and I will not send 
them away fasting, lest they faint in the way; for some of 
them came from afar off. And the disciples say unto Him : 
Whence then should we have so many loaves in the desert, 
as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus said to them: How 
many loaves have you ? But they said : Seven and a few little 
fishes. And He commanded the multitude to sit down upon 
the ground. And taking the seven loaves, and giving thanks, 
He brake, and gave to His disciples to set before them, and 
the disciples gave to the people. And they had a few little 
fishes; and He blessed them, and commanded them to be set 
before them. And they did all eat, and had their fill. And 
they took up seven baskets full, of what remained of the 
fragments. And they that did eat, were 4000 men, besides 
children and women. And having dismissed the multitude, 
He went up into a ship with His disciples : and came into the 
coasts of Magedan, the parts of Dalmanutha." 

From this we learn that those who hunger after spiritual 
bread, that is, those who ardently desire the word of God, 
will not be deprived of material bread; for whosoever seeks 
first the kingdom of God and His justice, to Him will all 
things else necessary be added. As Christ fed in the body 
4000 men with seven loaves, so does He feed and support 

164 



WITH SEVEN LOAVES 165 

to-day, in a spiritual manner, the people of every clime and 
tongue with the seven holy sacraments, 

2. The Sign prom Heaven, and the Sign of Jonas 

"And the Pharisees and Sadducees came forth and began 
to question with Him, asking Him a sign from heaven, tempt- 
ing Him. And sighing deeply in spirit, He saith : Why doth 
this generation ask a sign? Amen I say to you, If a sign 
shall be given to this generation." 

"But He answered and said to them: When it is evening, 
you say : It will be fair weather, for the sky is red. And in 
the morning: To-day there will be a storm, for the sky is 
red and lowering. You know then how to discern the face of 
the sky: and can you not know the signs of the times? A 
wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign : and a 
sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. 
And He left them and went away." 

What perverse blindness ! They ascribe to diabolical influ- 
ence and power the miracles of Christ upon earth, and yet 
demand that He shall prove His heavenly mission by a miracle 
wrought on the heavenly bodies. They speak of signs in the 
heavens and understand the weather; but the signs of their 
times, that is, the fulfillment of all the prophecies in Christ's 
coming and miracles, these they shut out from their view. 

3. The Disciples' Want op Faith, The Leaven of the 

Pharisees 

"Jesus leaving them went away again up into the ship, 
and passed to the other side of the water. When His disciples 
were come over the water, they had forgotten to take bread; 
and they had but one loaf with them in the ship. Jesus said 
to them, and charged them : Take heed, and beware of the 
leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and of the leaven of 
Herod. And they reasoned among themselves, saying: Be- 
cause we have taken no bread. Jesus, knowing their concern, 
ye of little faith. He saith to them, why do you think 
within yourselves that you have no bread? Do you not yet 
know nor understand? Have you still your hearts blinded? 
Having eyes, see you not; and having ears, hear you not? 
Neither do you remember, when I broke the five loaves among 
5000, how many baskets full of fragments you took up? 
They say to Him : Twelve. When also the seven loaves among 



166 CHRIST APPOINTS PETER 

4000, how many baskets of fragments took you up ? They say 
to Him : Seven. He said to them : Why do you not yet under- 
stand that it was not concerning bread that I said to you: 
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees ? Then 
they understood that He said not that they should beware of 
the leaven of the bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees 
and Sadducees. ' ' 

4. The Blind Man at Bethsaida 

"From this place, they came to Bethsaida, where they 
bring to Jesus a blind man, and they besought Him that He 
would touch him. As this was one of those miracles Avhieh 
He did not wish to make public, and taking the blind man 
by the hand. He led him out of the town ; and spitting upon 
his eyes, laying His hands on him. He asked him if he saw 
anything. The blind man looking up, said : I see men as it 
were trees walking. After that again, Jesus laid His hands 
upon his eyes, and he began to see, and was restored, so that 
he saw all things clearly. After that, Jesus sent him into his 
house, saying: Go into thy house, and if thou enter into the 
town tell nobody. From Bethsaida, Jesus went out with His 
disciples into the towns in the quarters of Cffisarea Philippi. ' ' 



CHAPTER XXXIII 

CHRIST APPOINTS PETER AS HEAD OF THE 
CHURCH. HE FORETELLS HIS SUFFER- 
INGS AND EXACTS FROM HIS DISCI- 
PLES SELF-DENIAL AND OPEN PRO- 
FESSION OF THEIR FAITH 

Matt. xvi. 13-28; Mark viii. 27-39; Luke ix. 18-27 

1. St. Peter Receives the Keys of Heaven. The Papacy 

Under the symbol of a rock, which signifies durability and 
stability ; under the symbol of keys, which signify loosing and 
binding, Jesus Christ imparts to St. Peter the promise of the 
plenitude of ecclesiastical jurisdiction. 

"From Bethsaida Jesus went out with. His disciples into 
the towns in the quarters of Caesarea Philippi. It came to 
pass in the way, as He was alone praying, His disciples only 
were with Him, and He asked them, saying: Whom do men 



AS HEAD OF THE CHURCH 167 

say that the Son of man is ? They said : Some, John the Bap- 
tist; some say, Elias, and others, Jeremias; others say that 
one of the former prophets is risen again. Jesus saith to 
them: But whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter an- 
swered and said : Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. 
Jesus answering, said to him : Blessed art thou, Simon Bar- 
Jona; because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, 
but My Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee that 
thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, 
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give 
to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatsoever thou 
shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven, and 
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also 
in heaven. Jesus then strictly commanded His disciples that 
they should tell none that He was Jesus the Christ." 

Christ had come to unite the whole human race in one 
family, of whom Peter was chosen by Him to be the head, 
while we were to be the various members of the mystic body. 
We were to be a kingdom with Peter for our king. He was 
to be the corner-stone of the great Christian temple to which 
were to resort an enlightened congregation of God's children 
to be taught by an infallible teacher. St. Peter was to be 
the chief pastor of the united flock of Jews and Gentiles. So 
that Peter is, in all that regards the Church, the visible Repre- 
sentative of the invisible Saviour who sits at the right hand 
of his Father in heaven. He was always treated as the Chief 
of the apostles, and after Christ's resurrection, at the triple 
profession of his love for his divine Master, Peter's prece- 
dence was confirmed. But as the Church of Christ should 
outlive that generation, and after Peter's death till the end 
of time, so must the holy office of Peter live in his lawful 
successors, who are, according to the unanimous testimony 
of all ages, the Bishops of Rome. 

2. St. Peter Fails to Comprehend the Mystery of the 
Painful Sacrifice of Christ 

' ' At that time Jesus began to show to His disciples, and to 
teach them, that He must go to Jerusalem, must suffer many 
things, be rejected by the ancients, by the chief-priests and 
the scribes, be put to death, and after three days rise again. 
And He spoke the word openly. And Peter, taking Him, 
began to rebuke Him, saying : Lord, be it far from Thee ; this 
shall not be unto Thee. Jesus therefore turning about, and 



168 THE TRANSFIGURATION 

seeing His disciples, threatened Peter, saying : Go behind Me, 
Satan ! thou art a scandal unto men, because thou savorest not 
the things that are of God, but the things that are of men." 

St. Peter not having yet been enlightened by the Holy 
Ghost, could not understand the mystery of Christ's sacri- 
fice of sutfering, mentioned now for the first time. Jesus 
earnestly rebukes him for his worldly notions and warns him 
and the other apostles that they, too, will be called upon to 
suffer. 

3. Self-Denial and Constant Acknowledgment of Christ 
"Jesus calling the multitude together with His disciples, He 
said to all: If any man will come after Me, let him deny him- 
self, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will 
save his life, will lose it ; and whosoever shall lose his life for 
My sake and the Gospel, shall save it: for what shall it profit 
a man if he gain the whole world, and sutfer the loss of his 
own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his 
soul? For he that shall be ashamed of Me and of My words 
in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of man 
also will be ashamed of him. when he shall eoire in his majesty, 
and that of His Father, and that of His holy angels. For 
the Son of man shall come in the gloiy of His Father with 
His angels; and then will He render to every man according 
to his works. Then," addressing His words to His disciples 
alone, "He said to them: Amen, I saj'' to you, there are some 
of them that stand here that shall not taste death till they 
see the kingdom of God in power, the Son of man coming in" 
the splendors of "His kingdom." 



CHAPTER XXXIV 
THE TRANSFIGURATION 

Matt. xvii. 1-13; Mark ix. 1-12; Luke ix. 28-36 

Before entering on His passion, and before His disciples 
should witness the humiliation and degradation of their Mas- 
ter, Christ wished to appear in resplendent and radiant glory 
on Mount Thabor, in order to comfort and strengthen them 
and to favor them with a glimpse of the happiness which they 
would enjoy in the presence of God after they had offered up 
their sacrifice. 



THE TRANSFIGURATION 169 

"It came to pass about eight days after these words," the 
preceding discourse, "Jesus taketh with Him" His three 
favorite disciples "Peter, and James, and John his brother, 
and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart by them- 
selves to pray. Whilst He was praying, the shape of His 
countenance was altered, and He was transfigured before 
them. His face did shine as the sun. His garments became 
shining and glittering, and exceeding white as the snow, so 
as no fuller upon earth can make white. Behold there ap- 
peared two men who were talking with Him. They were 
Moses and Elias. Appearing in majesty, they spoke of His 
decease that He should accomplish in Jerusalem, But Peter 
and they that were with him were heavy with sleep. And 
waking, they saw His glory, and the two men that stood with 
Him. 

"As Moses and Elias were departing from Jesus, Peter 
saith to Him: Master, it is good for us to be here. If Thou 
wilt, let us make here three tabernacles : one for Thee, one for 
Moses, and one for Elias. He knew not what he said, for he" 
and his companions ' ' were struck with fear. ' ' 

"As he spoke these things, there came a bright cloud which 
overshadowed them. When they, ' ' Moses and Elias, ' ' entered 
into the cloud, the apostles were more afraid. And lo, a 
voice came out of the cloud, saying : This is My beloved Son, 
in whom I am well pleased ; hear ye Him. Whilst the voice 
was uttered, Jesus was found alone. The disciples hearing, 
were very much afraid, and fell upon their face. But Jesus 
came and touched them, and said to them : Arise, and fear not. 
Then lifting up their eyes, and immediately looking about, 
they saw no one but only Jesus. ' ' 

This was the most sublime and most mysterious appearance 
of the Redeemer during His stay on earth. The eternal 
Father testifies to Him, the fathers of the old law, Moses and 
Elias, as well as the fathers of the new, the three principal 
apostles, receive this testimony with reverential awe, and 
glorify the Fulfiller of the old law and the Founder of the 
new. Now is the old law fulfilled. Moses the law-giver, and 
Elias the leader of the prophets, attest to the completion and 
fulfilment, in Christ's death on the cross, of all the figures, 
sacrifices, and prophecies of the old law. Now is the new 
covenant established. From the eternal Father Himself the 
Son of man receives the testimony that He is the Saviour in 
whom mankind will find their Teacher and Redeemer, 



170 JESUS CURES THE LUNATIC CHILD 

"As they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged 
His disciples not to tell any man what things they had seen, 
or the vision, till the Son of man shall be risen again from the 
dead. They held their peace and told no man in those days 
any of these things which they had seen. They kept the 
word to themselves, qnestioning to one another, what that 
should mean, When He shall be risen from the dead? And 
they asked Jesus, saying: Why then do the Pharisees and 
scribes say that Elias must come first? He answering, said 
to them : Elias indeed shall come and restore all things, and 
must suffer many things and be despised, as it is written of 
the Son of man. But I say to you that Elias is already come, 
that they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever 
they had a mind, as it is written of him. So also the Son of 
man shall suffer from them. Then the disciples understood 
that He had spoken to them of John the Baptist." 



CHAPTER XXXV 

JESUS CURES THE LUNATIC CHILD, FORETELLS 

HIS PASSION AND DEATH, AND PAYS THE 

TRIBUTE FOR HIMSELF AND PETER 

Matt. xvii. 14-2G; Mark ix. 13-32; Luke ix. 37-45 

1. The Possessed Boy, a Figure of Inordinate Passion 

Again the Holy Evangelists bring before our minds for 
contemplation and edification, one of the most dismal and 
appalling pictures of human misery — a person possessed by 
the devil. Nowhere do we realize more fully the deep fall of 
man and his dire want of a Redeemer than in these frightful 
spectacles. 

"The daj' following, when they came down from the moun- 
tain, there met Him a great multitude. Jesus coming to His" 
other "disciples, saw a great multitude about them, and the 
scribes disputing and questioning with them. All the people 
seeing Jesus, were astonished and struck with fear. Running 
to Him, they saluted Him, and He asked them : What do you 
question about among yourselves? Behold a man among the 
multitude cried out, falling down on his knees before Him, 
answering : Master, I have brought to Thee my son having a 



FORETELLS HIS PASSION AND DEATH 171 

dumb spirit. I beseech Thee look upon my son, because he 
is my only one. Lord, have pity on him, for he is a lunatic, 
and suffereth much, for he falleth often into the fire, and 
often into the water. Lo, a spirit seizeth him, he suddenly 
crieth out: the spirit throweth him down, and dasheth him, 
so that he foameth and gnasheth with the teeth ; and bruising 
him, the spirit hardly departeth from him, and my son pineth 
away. I brought him to thy disciples, and I desired them to 
cast him out, and to heal my son, and they could not. ' ' 

"Jesus answering, said to them: unbelieving and per- 
verse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long 
shall I suffer you ? Bring hither thy son to Me. They brought 
him. As he was coming and when he had seen Jesus, im- 
mediately the spirit troubled him ; the devil threw him down, 
and he rolled about foaming. Jesus asked his father: How 
long time is it since this happened unto him? From his in- 
fancy, said the father; and oftentimes hath the devil cast 
him into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if 
Thou canst do anything, help us, having compassion on us. 
Jesus saith to him: If thou canst believe, all things are pos- 
sible to him that believeth. Immediately the father of the 
boy, crying out with tears, said : I do believe ; Lord, help my 
unbelief. When Jesus saw the multitude running together, 
he threatened the unclean spirit, saying to him : Deaf and 
dumb spirit, I command thee, go out of him and enter not 
any more into him. He crying out, and greatly tearing him, 
went out of him ; and the child became as dead, so that many 
said: He is dead. But Jesus taking him by the hand, lifted 
him up, and he arose; and the child was cured from that 
hour. Jesus restored him to his father. All were astonished 
at the mighty power of God, and wondered at all the things 
Jesus did." 

"When Jesus was come into the house, the disciples came 
secretly to Him, and asked Him : Why could not we cast him 
out ? Jesus said to them : Because of your unbelief. They 
said to the Lord : Increase our faith. The Lord said to them : 
If you had faith like to a grain of mustard-seed, you might 
say to this mulberry-tree: Be thou rooted up and be trans- 
planted into the sea, and it would obey you. For, amen, I 
say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard-seed, you 
shall say to this mountain : Remove from hence hither, and 
it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible to you. But 
this kind of demon is not cast out but by prayer and fasting. ' ' 



172 JESUS CURES THE LUNATIC CHILD 

2. Jesus Foretells His Sufferings, Death, and Resurrec- 
tion 

"Departing from thence," from the vicinity of the moun- 
tain, where they do not appear to have tarried more than one 
day. "Jesiis and His disciph^s passed through Galilee; but He 
would not that any man should know it, for the Jews sought 
to kill Him. AVhen they abode together in Galilee, while all 
wondered at all the things He did. He taught His disciples, 
and said to Ihem: Lay up in your hearts these words: The 
Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. They 
shall kill liim, and after that He is killed, He shall rise 
again the third day. But the disciples understood not this 
word ; it was hidden from them, so that they perceived it not ; 
and they were afraid to ask Him concerning this word : they 
were troubled exceedingly. And they came to Capharnaum." 
3. Jesus Pays the Tribute Money 

Carefully and gradually, like a most anxious parent, our 
Saviour prepares the disciples, little by little, for the sad 
days of His humiliation and suffering. And lest even this 
gradual revelation of the coming trial should weaken their 
faith. He encourages and comforts them by a manifestation 
of His great power. Thus, on the occasion of paying the con- 
tribution for the temple, a tribute that every Israelite was 
bound to pay annually, as a sign of his subjection to the law, 
but to which law Christ, the Son of God, and those whom He 
had called to the freedom of God, were not subject, He, in 
order to encourage them, revealed His wonderful power by a 
miracle. 

"And when they were come to Capharnaum, they that 
received the didrachma^ came to Peter and said to him : Doth 
not your Master pay the didrachma ? Peter said : Yes. When 
He was come into the house, Jesus, to .whom nothing is un- 
kno\\Ti, prevented him, saying: AMiat is thy opinion, Simon? 
The kings of the earth, of whom do they receive tribute or 
custom? Of their own children or of strangers? Of stran- 
gers, he said. Jesus said to him : Then, the children are free ? 
But," added the Saviour, "that we may not scandalize them, 
go to the sea, cast in a hook, and that fish which shall first 
come up, take; and when thou hast opened its mouth, thou 
shalt find a stater.^ Take that, and give it to them for Me 
and thee." 

'This was a tribute paid by the Israelites of full age for the main- 
tenance of the temple and its services. ^A coin worth four drachmas. 



CHAPTER XXXVI 

JESUS PREACHES ON HUMILITY, PATIENCE, THE 

SHUNNING OF SCANDAL, BROTHERLY 

COUNSEL AND FORGIVENESS 

Matt, xviii. 1-19; Mark ix. 32-10, 1; Luke ix. 46-50 

1. Childhood's Virtues 

"There entered a thought into the disciples which of them 
should be the greater. But Jesus seeing the thoughts of their 
heart, asked them, when they were in the house at Caphar- 
naum: What did you treat of in the way? But they held 
their peace, for in the way they had disputed among them- 
selves, which of them should be the greatest. Jesus, sitting 
down, called the twelve. The disciples came to Him. Jesus 
said to them : Who, thinkest thou, is the greatest in the king- 
dom of heaven ? If any man desire to be first, he shall be the 
last of all, and the minister of all. And calling unto Him 
a little child, w^hom, when He had embraced. He set him in 
the midst of them. ' ' Then ' ' He saith to them : Amen, I say 
to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, 
you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever, 
therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, he is the 
greater in the kingdom of heaven. And he that shall receive 
one such little child as this in My name, reeeiveth Me ; and 
whosoever shall receive Me, reeeiveth not Me, but Him that 
sent Me; for He who is the lesser among you all, He is the 
greater. ' ' 

2. Kindness and Sympathy 

"And John answering, said to Him: Master, we saw a 
certain man casting out devils in Thy name, and we forbade 
him, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus said to 
him : Forbid him not, for there is no man that doth a miracle 
in My name and that can soon speak ill of Me. For he that 
is not against you, is for you. Whosoever shall give you, in 
My name, a cup of water to drink because you belong to 
Christ, amen, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward." 

What a tender admonition for us to be lenient and merciful, 
and not to require too much from our fellow-man. 

3. On Scandals 
On the other hand, we must combat scandal with vigor. 
"And whosoever shall scandalize one of these little ones 

173 



174 JESUS PREACHES ON HUMILITY, 

that believe in Me, it were better for him that a mill-stone 
were hanging about his neck, and he were cast into the depth 
of the sea. Woe to the world because of scandals, for it must 
needs be that scandals come, but nevertheless, woe to that 
man by whom the scandal cometh. If thy hand scandalize 
thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter into life maimed 
than having two hands to go into hell, into the hell of un- 
quenchable fire, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is 
not extinguished. If thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off. It 
is better for thee to enter lame into life everlasting, than hav- 
ing two feet to be cast into the hell of unquenchable fire, where 
their worm dieth not. and the fire is not extinguished. If thy 
eye scandalize thee, pluck it out. It is better for thee with 
one eye to enter the kingdom of God, than having two eyes 
to be cast into the hell of fire, where their worm dieth not, 
and the fire is not extinguished. For every one shall be 
salted with fire; and every victim shall be salted with salt. 
Salt is good ; but if the salt become unsavory, wherewith will 
you season it ? Have salt in you, and have peace among you." 
The victims sacrificed in the old law were strewn with salt. 
The cast-off sinner, as a victim of divine justice, will be salted 
with fire. The Apostles are to endeavor, by the good and 
wholesome salt of their preaching, to save men from this 
dreadful fate. They must therefore preserve within them- 
selves the salt of wisdom, and not wrangle imprudently about 
their respective rank and position. 

4. The Value of the Soul 

''See," Jesus said to them, "that you despise not one of 
these little ones; for I say to you that their angels in heaven 
always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the 
Son of man is come to save that which was lost. What think 
you ? If a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them should 
go astray, doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains, 
and goeth to seek that which is gone astray? And if it so be 
that he find it, Amen, I say to you, he rejoiceth more for that, 
than for the ninety-nine that went not astray. Even so it is 
not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these 
little ones should perish." 

5. Fraternal Correction. Ecclesmstical Penalties 

"If thy brother shall offend and sin against thee, go and 
rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear 



PATIENCE, THE SHUNNING OF SCANDAL 175 

thee, thou shalt gain thy brother ; and if he will not hear thee, 
take with thee one or two more ; that in the mouth of two or 
three witnesses, every word may stand. And if he will not 
hear them, tell the church ; and if he will not hear the church, 
let him be to thee as the heathen and the publican. Amen, 
I say to you : Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall 
be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose upon 
earth, shall be loosed also in heaven." 

Christ, in these remarkable words, entrusts His Apostles 
with the right of inflicting ecclesiastical punishments, a right 
to be exercised only when love and forbearance have been ex- 
hausted. He also prepares His Apostles for the institution, 
after His resurrection, of the sacrament of Penance. 

"Again I say to you, that if two of you shall consent upon 
earth concerning anything whatsoever they shall ask, it shall 
be done to them by My Father who is in heaven; for where 
there are two or three gathered together in My name, there 
am I in the midst of them." 

6, We Must Forgive. The Haed-Hearted Servant 

"Peter," who desired to be enlightened on this point, "then 
came unto Jesus, and said : Lord, how often shall my brother 
offend against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? 
Jesus saith to him : I say not to thee, till seven times, but till 
seventy times seven times. Therefore is the kingdom of 
heaven likened to a king who would take an account of his 
servants. And when he had begun to take the account, one 
was brought to him that owed him 10,000 talents. And as 
he had not wherewith to pay it, his lord commanded that he 
should be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he 
had, and payment to be made. But that servant falling 
down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I 
will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant, being moved 
with pity, let him go and forgave him the debt. But when 
that servant was gone out, he found one of his fellow-servants, 
that owed him a hundred pence; and laying hold of him, he 
throttled him, saying : Pay what thou owest. And his fellow- 
servant, falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience 
with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not, but 
went and cast him into prison till he paid the debt. Now his 
fellow-servants, seeing what was done, were very much 
grieved, and they came and told their lord all that was done. 
Then his lord called him, and said to him : Thou wicked ser- 



176 JESUS IS REJECTED BY THE SAMARITANS 

vant, I forgave thee all the debt, because thou besonghtest me; 
shoiildst not thou, then, have had compassion on thy fellow- 
servant, even as I had compassion on thee? And his lord, 
being angry, delivered him to the torturers until he paid all 
the debt. So also shall my heavenly Father do to you if you 
forgive not every one his brother from your hearts." 

This is a fundamental doctrine of Christianity. "With 
what measure you shall mete, it shall be measured to you 
again'' (Mark iv. 24). You wish to be freed from the burden 
of your sins ! Then you must first forgive those who have 
ofPended you. This is an indispensable condition. You find 
it hard to pardon a fancied otfence against ^''ourself, impos- 
sible to treat your enemy with patience and forgiveness ! Then 
first throw 3'ourself upon your knees and begin to reckon up 
your account with God. Count over the many squandered 
graces, all the despised warnings of the Holy Ghost, your 
preference of the creature to the Creator, the exposing of 
your faculties to the temptations of the devil, your disobedi- 
ence to the laws of God. Add these all together, and looking 
to heaven, say, if you dare : "Lord, forgive me my trespasses." 
Certainly in such a moment, it must become easy for you to 
forgive your bitterest enemy. 

"And it came to pass, when Jesus had said these things, 
rising up from thence. He departed from Galilee, and cometh 
into the coasts of Judea be^yond the Jordan, and the multitude 
flock to Him again. And as He was accustomed, He taught 
them again and healed their sick." 



CHAPTER XXXVII 

JESUS IS REJECTED BY THE SAMARITANS. THE 

DEPARTURE AND RETURN OF THE 

SEVENTY-TWO DISCIPLES 

Luke ix. 51; x. 24 

1. The Injudicious Zeal of John and James 

' ' And it came to pass when the days of His assumption were 
accomplishing, that He steadfastly set His face to go to 
Jerusalem. And He sent messengers before His face: and 



DEPARTURE AND RETURN OF THE DISCIPLES 177 

going they entered into a city of the Samaritans to prepare 
for Him. And they received Him not, because His face was 
of one going to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James 
and John had seen this, they said: Lord, wilt thou that we 
command fire to come down from heaven and consume them? 
And turning. He rebuked them, saying: You know not of 
what spirit you are. The Son of man came not to destroy 
souls, but to save. And they went into another town." 

The inhabitants of the Samaritan town refused to admit 
Jesus, not through personal hatred, but owing to a national 
prejudice which they entertained against the Jewish race in 
general. It was blindness, and not stubbornness as with the 
Pharisees. 

2, How TO Follow Jesus 

"And it came to pass as they walked in the way, that a 
certain man said to Him: I will follow Thee whithersoever 
Thou goest. Jesus said to him : The foxes have holes, and the 
birds of the air nests : but the Son of man hath not where to 
lay His head. But He said to another: Follow Me; and he 
said : Lord, suffer me first to go, and to bury my father. And 
Jesus said to him : Let the dead bury their dead : but go thou 
and preach the kingdom of God. And another said : I will 
follow Thee, Lord, but let me first take my leave of them that 
are at my house. Jesus said to him : No man putting his hand 
to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." 

3. The Mission of the Seventy-two Disciples 

"And after these things the Lord appointed also other 
seventy-two: and He sent them two and two before His face 
into every city and place whither He Himself was to come. 
And He said to them: The harvest indeed is great, but the 
laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest 
that He send laborers into His harvest. Go : behold I send you 
as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor 
shoes, and salute no man by the way. Into whatsoever house 
you enter, first say : Peace be to this house : And if the son 
of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him : but if not, 
it shall return to you. And in the same house remain, eating 
and drinking such things as they have : for the laborer is 
worthy of his hire. Remove not from house to house. And 
into what city soever you enter, and they receive you, eat 



178 JESUS IS REJECTED BY THE SAMARITANS 

siieh things as are set before you : and heal the sick that are 
therein, and say to them : The kingdom of God is come nigh 
unto you. But into whatsoever city you enter, and they re- 
ceive you not, going forth into the streets thereof, say : Even 
the very dust of your city that cleaveth to us we wipe off 
against you : yet know this that the kingdom of God is at 
hand. I say to you, it shall be more tolerable at that day for 
Sodom than for that city. Woe to thee Corozain, woe to thee 
Bethsaida : for if in Tyre and Sid on had been wrought the 
mighty works that have been wrought in you, they would 
have done penance long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 
But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the 
judgment, than for you. And thou Capharnaum which art 
exalted unto heaven, thou shalt be thrust down to hell. He 
that heareth you, heareth I\Ie : and he that despiseth you 
despise! h Me. And he that despiseth Me, despiseth Him that 
sent Me." 

Christ here delivers to His seventy-two disciples their com- 
mission and rule of conduct, as He had previously given theirs 
to the Apostles. In a very similar manner had Moses, cen- 
turies before, selected the twelve princes of Israel and seventy- 
two judges, six out of each of the twelve tribes, as his aids 
and representatives. The number of the Apostles corresponds 
to the twelve progenitors of Israel ; the number of the dis- 
ciples to the seventy-two nations into which, according to 
Jewish tradition and the opinion of the fathers, the human 
race was divided at the time of the dispersion from the tower 
of Babel. 

4. Their Return 

"And the seventy-two returned with joy, saying: Lord, the 
de\nls also are subject to us in Thy name. And He said to 
them : I saw Satan like lightning falling from heaven. Be- 
hold I have given you power to tread upon serpents, and 
scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy : and nothing 
shall hurt you. But yet rejoice not in this that spirits are 
subject unto you: but rejoice in this, that your names are 
written in heaven." 

Christ in spirit foresaw how Satan, whom the misguided 
heathens had honored and worshiped as God, would be cast 
down from his throne by the death on the cross, and all his 
power, over those who followed Christ, rendered abortive. 

"In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Ghost, and 



THE GOOD SAMARITAN. MARTHA AND MARY 179 

said : I confess to thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, 
because Thou hast hidden these things from the wise and 
prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. Yea Father: 
for so it hath seemed good in Thy sight. All things are de- 
livered to Me by My Father. And no one knoweth who the 
Son is but the Father: and who the Father is, but the Son, 
and to whom the Son will reveal Him. And turning to His 
disciples, He said : Blessed are the eyes that see the things 
which you see. For I say to you, that many prophets and 
kings have desired to see the things that you see, and have 
not seen them : and to hear the things that you hear and have 
not heard them." 



CHAPTER XXXVIII 
THE GOOD SAMARITAN. MARTHA AND MARY 

Luke X. 25-42 

"And behold a certain lawyer stood up, tempting Him, 
and saying: Master, what must I do to possess eternal life? 
But Pie said to him : What is written in the law ? how readest 
thou? He answering, said: Thou shalt love the Lord thy 
God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with 
all thy strength, and with all thy mind: and thy neighbor 
as thyself. And He said to him : Thou hast answered right : 
this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify him- 
self, said to Jesus: And who is my neighbor? And Jesus 
answering, said : A certain man went down from Jerusalem 
to Jericho, and fell among robbers, who also stripped him : 
and having wounded him went away leaving him half dead. 
And it chanced that a certain priest went down the same way : 
and seeing him, passed by. In like manner also a levite, 
when he was near the place and saw him, passed by. But a 
certain Samaritan being on his journey, came near him: and 
seeing him was moved with compassion. And going up to 
him, bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine : and set- 
ting him upon his own beast, brought him to an inn, and took 
care of him. And the next day he took out two pence, and 
gave to the host, and said : Take care of him : and whatsoever 
thou shalt spend over and above, I at my return will repay 



180 THE GOOD SAJMARITAN. MARTHA AND MARY 

thee. AYhieh of these three in thy opinion was neighbor to 
him that fell among the robbers ? But he said : He that 
showed mere}' to him. And Jesus said to him : Go, and do 
thou in like manner." 

In this parable, the teachers of the Church have discovered 
not only a lesson of Christian love of neighbor, but also the 
history of the fall of man and his restoration. "The traveler," 
says Origen, "is the human race; Jericho is the world; Jerusa- 
lem, paradise. The robbers are the three chief enemies of the 
human family, namely, temptations from without, evil pas- 
sions from within, and the devil from below. The robbery 
is the loss of original innocence and supernatural grace. The 
wounding is the weakened state of the soul in consequence of 
sin. The priest and the levite are the legislators of the old 
law. The good Samaritan is Christ. The wine is His redeem- 
ing blood; the oil, God's grace. The in)i is the Church. The 
host is the Christian priesthood. The two pieces of money 
are the holy sacraments, consisting in the twofold quality of 
outward sign and inward grace. The return of the Samaritan 
is the second coming of Christ. 

"Now it came to pass as they went, that He entered into 
a certain town : and a certain woman named Martha, received 
Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who 
sitting also at the Lord's feet, heard His word. But Martha 
was busy about much serving : who stood and said : Lord, hast 
thou no care that my sister hath left me alone to serve? speak 
to her therefore, that she help me. And the Lord answering, 
said to her : Martha, Martha, thou art careful, and art troubled 
about many things. But one thing is necessary. Mary hath 
chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her." 

Martha represented the active, Magdalen the contemplative 
life. The first is good, the second is better, but the two united 
are the best mode of life. Who has ever united within him- 
self these two kinds of life as perfectly as the Blessed Virgin 
Mary ? How many active duties had she to perform in bring- 
ing up the child Jesus in Bethlehem, Egypt, and Nazareth ! 
How great must have been her care and anxiety concerning 
her Son in His cruel passion and death ! Yet, in the midst 
of all this outward activity, her soul was buried in contempla- 
tion ; for she sat at the feet of Jesus and heard His words, 
and kept all these words in her heart, till at last, on the day 
of her Assumption, she was relieved of "Martha's part," to 
devote herself to Mary's portion for all eternity. 



CHAPTER XXXIX 

PRAYER 
Luke xi. 1-13 

"And it came to pass, that as Jesus was in a certain place 
praying, when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him : 
Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And 
He said to them : When you pray, say : Father, hallowed be 
Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us this day our daily 
bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every one 
that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation." 

Here we perceive from the Saviour's repetition of this 
divine prayer already taught and prescribed to the disciples 
in the Sermon on the Mount, how much importance He at- 
tached to it, and how ardently He wishes us to present it daily 
and hourly before the throne of God. With this powerful 
prayer, we, as it were, do violence to heaven, so that God 
can not withstand our petition. But we must remember that 
not the word but the spirit quickeneth ; the spirit of un- 
bounded confidence in God and of childlike submission to the 
will of Him who alone knows what is truly useful and salutary 
to our condition. 

"And Jesus said to them: Which of you shall have a friend 
and shall go to him at midnight, and shall say to him : Friend, 
lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine is come off his 
journey to me, and I have not what to set before him. And 
he from within should answer and say : Trouble me not, the 
door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed, I 
can not rise and give thee. Yet, if he shall continue knocking, 
I say to you, although he will not rise and give him because 
he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise 
and give him as many as he needeth. And I say to you : Ask, 
and it shall be given you : seek, and you shall find : knock, 
and it shall be opened to you. For every one that asketh, 
receiveth : and he that seeketh, findeth : and to him that 
knocketh, it shall be opened. And which of you, if he ask 
his father for bread, will he give him a stone? or a fish, will 
he for a fish, give him a serpent? or if he shall ask an egg, 
will he reach him a scorpion ? If you, then, being evil, know 
how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will 
your Father from heaven give the good spirit to them that 
ask Him?" 

181 



CHAPTER XL 

JESUS CURES A POSSESSED PERSON. BLASPHEMY 
OF THE JEWS. A WOMAN OF THE PEOPLE EX- 
TOLS THE MOTHER OF JESUS. HE THREAT- 
ENS THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, 
AND OTHER UNBELIEVING JEWS 

Luke xi. 14-54 

1. Blasphemies of the Jews Against Christ 

"And He was casting out a devil, and the same was dumb. 
And when He had cast cut the devil, the dumb spoke : and 
the multitudes were in admiration at it. But some of them 
said: He casteth out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils. 
And others, tempting, asked of Him a sign from heaven. But 
He seeing their thoughts, said to them : Every kingdom di- 
vided against itself, shall be brought to desolation, and house 
upon house shall fall. And if Satan also be divided against 
himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because you say, that 
through Beelzebub I cast out devils. Now if I cast out devils 
by Beelzebub, by whom do your children cast them out? 
Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I by the finger 
of God cast out devils : doubtless the kingdom of God is come 
upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his court: 
those things are in peace which he possesseth. But if a stronger 
than he come upon him and overcome him : he will take away 
all his armour wherein he trusted and will distribute his 
spoils. He that is not with Me is against Me: and He that 
gathereth not with Me, scattereth. When the unclean spirit 
is gone out of a man, he walketh through places without water, 
seeking rest: and not finding, he saith: I will return into my 
house whence I came out. And when he is come, he findeth 
it swept and garnished. Then he goeth and taketh with him 
seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and entering 
in they dwell there. And the last state of that man becomes 
worse than the first." 

The Pharisees here, for the third time, attribute Christ's 
power to the devil. Jesus refutes their reiterated charge as 
He had done before, and points to the dreadful condition of 
the once favored people of Israel, who, from being the chosen 
among the nations, have, on account of their rejection of the 
Messias, been given up to the dominion of Satan. 

182 



BLASPHEMY OF THE JEWS 183 

2. "Blessed is the Womb That Bore Thee" 

"And it came to pass, as He spoke these things, a certain 
woman from the crowd lifting up her voice, said to Him: 
Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the paps that gave 
Thee suck. But He said : Yea rather, blessed are they who 
hear the word of God and keep it." 

The voice of a simple and unlettered woman proclaims the 
praise of God's mother in accents sweet and soft, akin to the 
angels. The voice of the learned and haughty Pharisee utters 
blasphemy and execration against God's Son, in the hissing 
tone of the serpent. How true is the old yet ever new saying : 
"The poor have the gospel preached to them!" During 
1800 years Christendom has re-echoed the greeting of this 
woman in the gospel, praising and exalting Mary who was 
deemed worthy to carry the King of heaven and earth near 
her heart and to suckle Him at her breast. The Church does 
not neglect the significant reply of our Lord, for she renders 
to the saints of the heavenly court, who have heard the word 
of God and kept it with heroic charity, the most loving 
homage; thus verifying His words, "Blessed are they," etc, 

3. The Unbelief of the Jew^s Contrasted with the Faith 

OP THE NiNlVITES, AND OP THE QuEEN OF ShEBA. ThE 

Sign op Jonas. The Light of the Body 

"And the multitudes running together, He began to say: 
This generation is a wicked generation : it asketh a sign, and 
a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. 
For as Jonas was a sign to the Ninivites : so shall the Son of 
man also be to this generation. The queen of the south shall 
rise in the judgment with the men of this generation, and 
shall condemn them : because she came from the ends of the 
earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon : and behold more than 
Solomon here. The men of Ninive shall rise in the judgment 
with this generation and shall condemn it : because they did 
penance at the preaching of Jonas, and behold more than 
Jonas here. No man lighteth a candle and putteth it in a 
hidden place, nor under a bushel : but upon a candlestick, that 
they that come in may see the light." 

The light of wisdom brought from heaven to earth by the 
true Solomon, Jesus Christ, shines before all men, and he 
who, with childlike faith, lays himself open to its rays, will 
enjoy pure and healthy life of soul. But if his eye be dark- 



184 JESUS CURES A POSSESSED PERSON 

some, that is, if he do not will to have light, he will remain 
in dark iinhealthiiiess of heart and soul. 

"The light of thy body, is thy eye. If thy eye be single, 
thy whole body will be lightsome : but if it be evil, thy body 
also will be darksome. Take heed therefore that the light 
which is in thee be not darkness. If then thy whole body be 
lightsome, having no part of darkness, the whole shall be 
lightsome, and as a bright lamp shall enlighten thee." 

4. The Outward Strictness of the Scribes and Pharisees 

The greater part of the scribes and Pharisees of that time 
failed to enjoy this enlightenment. They were the blind lead- 
ing the blind. For, in their ambition to become the wise 
guides in Israel, they attended only to the strict letter of the 
law and to the outward observance of customs and cere- 
monies, and thus held the people back from the true, living, 
spiritual knowledge of God, as preached by the prophets. 

"And as He was speaking, a certain Pharisee prayed Him 
that He would dine with him. And He going in sat down 
to eat. And the Pharisee began to say thinking within him- 
self, why He was not waslied before dinner. And the Lord 
said to him : Now you Pharisees make clean the outside of 
the cup and of the platter : but your inside is full of rapine 
and iniquity. Ye fools, did not He that made that which is 
without, make also that which is within ? But yet that which 
remaineth, give alms: and behold all things are clean unto 
you. But woe to you Pharisees, because you tithe mint and 
rue and every herb, and pass over judgment and the charity 
of God : now these things you ought to have done, and not to 
leave the other undone." 

It is false to assert, as some do, that Christ trampled under 
foot all obedience to human institutions, and required of His 
followers observance of the divine law only. Of course, the 
commandments which come immediately and directly from 
God constitute the first and highest law, from which there 
can never be exemption. But also the laws framed by the 
authorities in the Church and State must be obeyed. "These 
things you ought to have done, and not to leave those undone." 
It would certainly be sinful for a man to plead a civil or 
ecclesiastical law in excuse for violation of God's law. 

"Wo to you Pharisees, because you love the uppermost 
seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the market-place. 
"Wo to you, because you are as sepulchers that appear not, 



SEVERAL RULES OF CONDUCT 185 

and men that walk over are not aware. And one of the law- 
yers answering, saith to Him : Master, in saying these things. 
Thou reproachest us also. But He said : Wo to you lawyers 
also : because you load men with burdens which they can not 
bear, and you yourselves touch not the packs with one of your 
fingers. Wo to you who build the monuments of the prophets : 
and your fathers killed them. Truly you bear witness that 
you consent to the doings of your fathers : for they indeed 
killed them, and you build their sepulchers. For this cause 
also the wisdom of God said : I will send to them prophets and 
apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute : That 
the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foun- 
dation of the world, may be required of this generation, from 
the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias who was slain 
between the altar and the temple. Yea, I say to you, it shall 
be required of this generation. Wo to you lawyers, for you 
have taken away the key of knowledge : you yourselves have 
not entered in, and those that were entering in you have hin- 
dered. And as He was saying these things to them, the 
Pharisees and the lawyers began vehemently to urge Him, 
and to oppress His mouth about many things. Lying in wait 
for Him, and seeking to catch something from His mouth, that 
they might accuse Him." 



CHAPTER XLI 



SEVERAL RULES OF CONDUCT FOR THE DISCIPLES. 

ON CONTEMPT FOR WORLDLY GOODS, 

AND ON WATCHFULNESS 

Luke xii. 1-59 

1. Shunning Scandal. Fortitude in Persecution 

"And when great multitudes stood about Him, so that they 
trod one upon another, He began to say to His disciples : Be- 
ware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 
For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed : nor 
hidden that shall not be known. For whatsoever things you 
have spoken in darkness, shall be published in the light: and 
that which you have spoken in the ear in the chambers, shall 
be preached on the house-tops. And I say to you, my friends : 



186 SEVERAL RULES OF CONDUCT 

Be not afraid of them who kill the body, and after that have 
no more that they can do. But I will shew you whom ye shall 
fear: fear ye Him who after he hath killed, hath power to 
east into hell ; yea I say to you, fear Him, Are not five 
sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is for- 
gotten before God? Yea, the very hairs of your head are all 
numbered. Fear not therefore: you are of more value than 
many sparrows. And I say to you : Wliosoever shall confess 
Me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before 
the angels of God : but he that shall deny Me before men, 
shall be denied before the angels of God. And whosoever 
speaketh a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven 
him : but to him that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost 
it shall not be forgiven. And when they shall bring you into 
the synagogues, and to magistrates and powers, be not solici- 
tous how or what you shall answer, or what you shall say. For 
the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what you 
must say." 

2. Contempt for Worldly Goods. The Division of the 

Inheritance. The Parable of the Rich Man Who 

Died Suddenly. Solicitude About Temporal Wants 

The evangelical courage required by the divine Master in 
His disciples is a result of evangelical poverty. The true 
servant of Christ will be able to fight in the cause of truth and 
justice with unshaken fortitude, only when he shall have de- 
tached his heart from the goods of earth, and placed his whole 
trust for the body's necessities in the hand of God. 

"And one of the multitude said to Him: Master, speak to 
my brother that he divide the inheritance with me. But He 
said to him: Man, who hath appointed Me judge or divider 
over you? And He said to them: Take heed and beware of 
all covetousness : for a man's life does not consist in the 
abundance of things which he possesseth. And He spoke a 
similitude to them, saying: The land of a certain rich man 
brought forth plenty of fruits: and he thought within him- 
self, saying: "WTiat shall I do, because I have no room where 
to bestow my fruits ? And he said : This ^^n.\\ I do : I will pull 
down my barns, and T\all build greater: and into them will 
I gather all things that are grown to me, and my goods, and I 
will say to my soul : Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for 
many years ; take thy rest, eat, drink, make good cheer. But 



FOR THE DISCIPLES 187 

God said to him: Thou fool, this night do they require thy 
soul of thee : and whose shall those things be which thou hast 
provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and 
is not rich toward God. And He said to His disciples : There- 
fore I say to you, be not solicitous for your life, what you 
shall eat : nor for your body, what you shall put on. The life 
is more than the meat, and the body is more than the raiment. 
Consider the ravens, for they sow not, neither do they reap, 
neither have they store-house nor barn, and God feedeth them. 
How much are you more valuable than they? And which of 
you by taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If 
then you be not able to do so much as the least thing, why are 
you solicitous for the rest ? Consider the lilies how they grow : 
they labor not, neither do they spin : but I say to you, not 
even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these. 
Now if God clothe in this manner the grass that is to-day in 
the field, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, how much more 
you, ye of little faith? And seek not you what you shall 
eat or what you shall drink : and be not lifted up on high : 
for all these things do the nations of the world seek. But 
your Father knoweth that you have need of these things. But 
seek ye first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these 
things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock, for it 
hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom. Sell what 
you possess and give alms. Make to yourselves bags which 
grow not old, a treasure in heaven which f aileth not : where 
no thief approacheth nor moth corrupteth. For where your 
treasure is, there will your heart be also. ' ' 

Such are the sublime principles of Christ, the like of which 
had never before been uttered by any tongue. "Who will be 
able to observe them ? Who will have strength in persecution 
to keep valiantly his peace of soul as Christ requires? Who 
will have freedom enough of soul to be lifted above all at- 
tachment to worldly goods, as the Saviour demands by word 
and His own example? Only He in whose heart is burning 
fire from above; only He who continually directs the gaze of 
His soul to that great day on which pure and self-sacrificing 
souls will obtain their promised and over-adequate reward. 
This day will come for you and me and for every individual, 
at the hour of death; but for all in general and together at 
the end of time. Watch, and in all thou hast to do, to offer, 
and to suffer, remember the judgment day. Hence our Lord 
says: 



188 SEVERAL RULES OF CONDUCT 

3. On Preparation for the Day of Judgment. The Vigi- 
lant Servant and the Negligent Servant 
"Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning: in your hands. 
And you yourselves like to men who wait for their lord, when 
he shall return from the wedding: that when he cometh and 
knoeketh they may open to him immediately. Blessed are 
those servants, whom the Lord, w^hen He cometh, shall find 
watching : Amen I say to you, that He will gird himself, and 
make them sit down to meat and passing will minister unto 
them. And if He sliall come in the second watch, or come in 
the third watch, and lind Ihem so, blessed are those servants. 
But this know ye, that if the householder did know at what 
hour the thief would come, he would surely watch and would 
not suffer his house to be broken open. Be you then also 
ready: for at what hour you think not, the Son of man will 
come. And Peter said to Him : Lord, dost Thou speak this 
parable to us, or likewise to all ? And the Lord said : Who, 
thinkest thou, is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord 
setteth over his family to give them their measure of wheat 
in due season? Blessed is that servant whom, when his lord 
shall come, he shall find so doing. Verily, I say to you, he 
will set him over all that he possesseth. But if that servant 
shall say in his heart: My lord is long a coming: and shall 
begin to strike the men-servants and maid-servants, and to 
eat, and to drink, and be drunk : the lord of that servant will 
come in the day that he hopeth not, and at the hour that he 
knoweth not, and shall separate him, and shall appoint him 
his portion with unbelievers. And that servant who knew the 
Avill of his lord, and prepared not himself, and did not accord- 
ing to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes : but he that- 
knew not, and did things worthy of stripes shall be beaten 
with few stripes. And unto whomsoever much is given, of 
him much shall be required : and to whom they have committed 
much, of him they will demand the more. I am come to cast 
fire on the earth, and what will I but that it be kindled? And 
I have a baptism, wherewith I am to be baptized : and how 
am I straitened until it be accomplished? Think ye that I 
am come to give peace on earth? I tell you no, but separa- 
tion. For there shall be from henceforth five in one house 
divided, three against two, and two against three shall they 
be divided : the father against the son, and the son against 
his father, the mother against the daughter, and the daughter 
against the mother, the mother-in-law against her daughter- 



EXHORTATION TO PENANCE 189 

in-law, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 
And He said also to the multitudes : When you see a cloud 
rising from the west, presently you say : A shower is coming : 
and so it happeneth; and when ye see the south wind blow 
you say : There will be heat : and it cometh to pass. You 
hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the heaven 
and of the earth : but how is it that you do not discern this 
time? And why even of yourselves do you not judge that 
which is just? And when thou goest with thy adversary to 
the prince, whilst thou art in the way endeavor to be delivered 
from him, lest perhaps he draw thee to the judge, and the 
judge deliver thee to the exactor, and the exactor cast thee 
into prison. I say to thee, thou shalt not go out thence, until 
thou pay the very last mite." 

Thus should the flame of holy zeal and of fervent charity 
which animated the soul of Jesus, communicate its fire to all 
men ; inciting them to a love of truth and justice. The grace- 
treasure of Pentecost, purchased for us by His bitter death 
on the cross, will light up within us this supernatural charity. 
Far be it from us to mistake the nature of this love, which 
should pervade the world in Christ. With the sensual love 
of the worldling, with the false, dishonorable peace of the 
world, it has nothing in common. It consists essentially of 
truth and justice. Hence, between it and the spirit of this 
world the conflict will last till the end of time. 



CHAPTER XLII 



EXHORTATION TO PENANCE. THE PARABLE OF 

THE FIG-TREE. THE HEALING OF THE CROOKED 

WOMAN ON THE SABBATH. THE PARABLE OF 

THE MUSTARD-SEED AND OF THE LEAVEN. 

THE NUMBER OF THE DAMNED. THE 

DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM 

Luke xiii. 1-15 

1. The Loss of the Unrepentant. The Fruitless Fig-Tree 

"And there were present at that very time some that told 
Him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with 
their sacrifices. And He answering, said to them : Think you 
that these Galileans were sinners above all the men of Galilee, 



190 EXHORTATION TO PENANCE 

because they suffered such things? No, I say to you: but 
unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish. Or 
those eighteen upon whom the tower fell in Siloe, and slew 
them ; think you that they also were debtors above all the men 
that dwell in Jerusalem ? No, I say to you : but except you 
do penance, you shall all likewise perish. He spoke also this 
parable: A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard, 
and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none. And he 
said to the dresser of the vineyard : Behold for these three 
years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and I find none : 
cut it down therefore : why cumbereth it the ground ? But he 
answering, said to him: Lord, let it alone this year also, until 
I dig about it and dung it: and if happily it bear fruit: but 
if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." 

2. The Crooked Woman a Figure of the Sinner 

* ' And He was teaching in their synagogue on the Sabbaths. 
And behold there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity 
eighteen years : and she was bowed together, neither could she 
look upwards at all. Whom when Jesus saw, He called her 
unto Him, and said to her : Woman, thou art delivered from 
thy infirmity. And He laid His hands upon her, and im- 
mediately she was made straight and glorified God." 

In this deformed creature bowed down to the earth, w^e 
can view ourselves ! To God, in His celestial kingdom, where 
truth sits enthroned and where unutterable happiness is in 
store for all who serve the Lord, we dare not raise our eyes. 
Long years spent in pursuit of earthly pleasures have tied 
us down, soul and body, to the ground. And yet our im- 
mortal soul was not created for the slime of the earth, nor 
can all the wealth and splendor of this world satisfy its crav- 
ings. As man's body has been created upright, with his 
countenance looking toward the skies, so too was our soul 
created and designed for the world above. Hence it is miser- 
able and unhappy whilst the bands of sin hold it down to 
earth. That woman was afflicted for eighteen years! Even 
the power of a habit of many years' standing will be broken 
at the word of pardon that comes from Jesus' lips. 

"And the ruler of the synagogue (being angry that Jesus 
had healed on the Sabbath) answering, said to the multitude: 
Six days there are wherein you ought to work : in them there- 
fore come, and be healed, and not on the Sabbath-day. And 
the Lord answering him, said : Ye hypocrites, doth not every 




Martin Feuersteiii Copyright by Benziger Brotliers 

Adoration of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus 



EXHORTATION TO PENANCE 191 

one of you on the Sabbath-day loose his ox or his ass from 
the manger, and lead them to water? And ought not this 
daughter of Abraham whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eigh- 
teen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath-day? 
And when He said these things, all His adversaries were 
ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the things that 
were gloriously done by Him. ' ' 

3. The Parable of the Mustard- Seed and the Leaven 

"He said therefore: To what is the kingdom of God like, 
and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like to a grain of 
mustard-seed, which a man took and cast into his garden, and 
it grew, and became a great tree: and the birds of the air 
lodged in the branches thereof. And again he said : Where- 
unto shall I esteem the kingdom of God to be like ? It is like 
to leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of 
meal, till the whole was leavened." 

The kingdom of Christ— of grace and truth— will flourish 
far and wide ; and like a stately tree, it will shelter the human 
family beneath its vivifying branches. And yet the number 
of those who will pass safely through this terrestrial kingdom 
of truth and grace, to the realms of eternal happiness, will 
be, as Christ had already affirmed, very small ; small in pro- 
portion to the lavish expenditure of saving grace ; small in 
proportion to the earnest and longing desire of the Good 
Shepherd, who wishes to gather all the lost sheep into one 
fold; small in proportion to the vast realms of everlasting 
joy to which all are called in Christ. Our souls shudder at 
the sight of this small number of the saved, and recall the 
admonition to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. 
But we are encouraged when we remember the consoling words 
of St. James: "Mercy exalteth itself above justice" (St. 
James ii. 13). 

4. The Small Number of the Saved. Day of Judgment. 
Herod, the Fox. The Destruction of Jerusalem 

"And He went through the cities and towns teaching, and 
making His journey to Jerusalem. And a certain man said 
to Him : Lord, are they few that are saved ? But He said to 
them : Strive to enter by the narrow gate : for many, I say to 
you, shall seek to enter, and shall not be able. But when 
the master of the house shall be gone in, and shall shut to 
the door, you shall begin to stand without, and knock at the 



192 JESUS CURES THE DROPSICAL MAN 

door, saying : Lord, open to ns : and He answering shall say 
to you : I know you not whence you are : Then you shall begin 
to say : AVe have eaten and drunk in Thy presence, and Thou 
hast taught in our streets. And He shall say to you : I know 
you not whence you are: depart from Me, all ye workers of 
iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth: 
when you shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and all 
the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves 
thrust out. And there shall come from the east and the west 
and the north and the south, and shall sit down in the king- 
dom of God. And behold they are last that shall be first, 
and they are first that shall be last. The same day there came 
some of the Pharisees, saying to Him : Depart and get thee 
hence, for Herod hath a mind to kill Thee. And He said to 
them: Go, and tell that fox: Behold I cast out devils, and do 
cures to-day and to-morrow,^ and the third day I am con- 
summated. Nevertheless I must walk to-day and to-morrow 
and the day following : because it can not be that a prophet 
perish out of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest 
the prophets and stonest them that are sent to thee, how often 
would I have gathered thy children as the bird doth her brood 
under her wings, and thou wouldst not? Behold your house 
shall be left to you desolate. And I say to you, that you shall 
not see j\Ie till the time come when you shall say: Blessed is 
He that cometh in the name of the Lord." 



CHAPTER XLIII 

JESUS CURES THE DROPSICAL MAN ON THE SAB- 
BATH, AND PREACHES HIBIILITY AND MERCY. 
THE PARABLES OF THE GREAT SUPPER, THE 
UNFINISHED TOWER, AND WAR; OF THE 
STRAY SHEEP, THE LOST DRACHMA, 
THE PRODIGAL SON, AND THE 
DISHONEST STEWARD 

Luke xiv. ; xv. ; xvi. 1.3 

1. The Case of Dropsy. The Pharisees' Hypocrisy in 
Regard to the Sabbath. The Pride of the 
Pharisees. They Seek High Places 
"And it came to pass when Jesus went into the house of 

^That is to say, in a short time my hour to die upon the cross shall 
come. 



ON THE SABBATH 193 

one of the chief of the Pharisees on the Sabbath-day to eat 
bread, that they watched Him. And behold there was a cer- 
tain man before Him that had the dropsy. And Jesus answer- 
ing, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying : Is it lawful to 
heal on the Sabbath-day? But they held their peace. But 
He taking him, healed him, and sent him away. And answer- 
ing them. He said : Which of you shall have an ass or an ox 
fall into a pit, and will not immediately draw him out on 
the Sabbath-day? And they could not answer Him to these 
things. And He spoke a parable also to them that were in- 
vited, marking how they chose the first seats at the table, 
saying to them : When thou art invited to a wedding, sit not 
down in the first place, lest perhaps one more honorable than 
thou be invited by him. And he that invited thee and him 
come and say to thee : Give this man place : and then thou 
begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when thou 
art invited, go, sit down in the lowest place : that when he 
who invited thee cometh, he may say to thee : Friend, go up 
higher. Then shalt thou have glory before them that sit at 
table with thee : because every one that exalteth himself, shall 
be humbled : and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted. ' ' 

2. Self-seeking of the Pharisees 

* ' And He said to him also that had invited Him : When thou 
makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy 
brethren, nor thy kinsmen, nor thy neighbors who are rich : 
lest perhaps they also invite thee again, and a recompense be 
made to thee ; but when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the 
maimed, the lame, and the blind. And thou shalt be blessed, 
because they have not wherewith to make thee recompense : 
for recompense shall be made thee at the resurrection of the 
just." 

3. The Parable of the Supper. The Rejection of the 

Pharisees 

The Pharisees, in their pride and vanity, considered them- 
selves the just and righteous. Hence they understood the 
words of Christ regarding the resurrection of the just as con- 
cerning only themselves and perhaps the people of Israel in 
general. In their blindness they could not discover that they 
had been unworthy to receive the Messias, and, as a conse- 
quence, merited their exclusion from God's kingdom. Christ 



194 JESUS CURES THE DROPSICAL MAN 

proceeds in a very significant parable to foreshadow the re- 
jection of the Hebrew nation and the election of the Gentiles. 
""When one of them that sat at table with Him, had heard 
these things, he said to Him: Blessed is he that shall eat 
bread in the kingdom of God. But He said to him : A certain 
man made a great supper, and invited many. And he sent 
his servant at the hour of supper to say to them that were 
invited, that they should come, for now all things are ready. 
And they began all at once to make excuse. The first said to 
him : I have bought a farm, and I must needs go out and see 
it : I pray thee, hold me excused. And another said : I have 
bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to try them : I pray thee, 
hold me excused. And another said : I have married a wife, 
and therefore I can not come. And the servant returning 
told these things to his lord. Then the master of the house, 
being angry, said to his servant: Go out quickly into the 
streets and lanes of the city : and bring in hither the poor 
and the feeble and the blind and the lame. And the servant 
said : Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there 
is room. And the lord said to the servant: Go out into the 
highways and hedges: and compel them to come in, that my 
house may be filled. But I say unto you that none of those 
men that were invited, shall taste of my supper." 

4. Christian Perfection. Parables of the "War and Tower 
Began with Insufficient Means 

Jesus here contrasts the pretended sanctity of the Pharisees 
with true Christian perfection, addressing himself in the two 
following parables to those who believe themselves called to 
be preachers of the gospel, or as religious, to a high degree of 
perfection. How great the requirements of such a state! 
They must be ready to "hate" everything earthly, even their 
nearest friends and relations, that is, to prefer Christ before 
them, and to forsake them. In every age of the Church have 
existed noble souls in search of perfection. Remember the 
Christian missionaries, the Brothers and Sisters devoting the 
life and energy of their bodies, all the powers of their loving 
souls, to the prisoners, the orphans, the unlettered children, 
and yet receiving at the hands of men only contempt and 
persecution in return. Such souls are the bright and fragrant 
blossoms on the tree of Christianity. They are the salt of 
the earth. Those who believe that they are called to this state 



ON THE SABBATH 195 

of perfection must first test the firmness of their purpose, and 
the measure of their abilities, lest they become a scandal, like 
the man in the gospel who was unable to finish the tower. 

' ' And there went great multitudes with Him : and turning, 
He said to them : If any man come to Me, and hate not his 
father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and 
sisters, yea, and his own life also, he can not be My disciple. 
And whosoever doth not carry his cross and come after Me 
can not be My disciple. For which of you having a mind to 
build a tower, doth not first sit down and reckon the charges 
that are necessary, whether he have wherewithal to finish it. 
Lest after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish 
it, all that see it begin to mock him, saying : This man began 
to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king about to 
go to make war against another king, doth not first sit down 
and think whether he be able with 10,000 to meet him that 
with 20,000 cometh against him? Of else whilst the other is 
yet afar off, sending an embassy, he desireth conditions of 
peace. So likewise every one of you that doth not renounce 
all that he possesseth, can not be My disciple. Salt is good. 
But if the salt shall lose its savor, wherewith shall it be sea- 
soned? It is neither profitable for the land, nor for the dung- 
hill, but shall be cast out. He that hath ears to hear, let him 
hear. ' ' 

5. The Parable of the Stray Sheep. The Lost Drachma 

In the parables of the stray sheep, of the lost drachma, and 
of the prodigal son, is presented to us the sweetly consoling 
gospel-message of divine mercy, that is, the inexpressible 
longing of Christ for the conversion of sinners and the be- 
nignant goodness with which He goes in quest of lost souls, 
finding and saving them. 

"Now the publicans and sinners drew near unto Him to 
hear Him. And the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, say- 
ing: This man reeeiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And 
He spoke to them this parable, saying : What man of you that 
hath an hundred sheep : and if he shall lose one of them, doth 
he not leave the ninety-nine in the desert, and go after that 
which was lost until he find it ? And when he hath found it, 
lay it upon his shoulders rejoicing. And coming home call 
together his friends and neighbors, saying to them: Rejoice 
with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost? I 
say to you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven upon one 



196 JESUS CURES THE DROPSICAL MAN 

sinuer that doth penance, more than upon ninety-nine just 
who need not penance. Or what woman having ten groats: 
if she k")se one groat, doth not light a candle and sweep the 
house, and seek diligently, until she find it? And when she 
hath found it, call together her friends and neighbors, saying: 
Rejoice with me, because I have found the groat which I had 
lost? So I say to you, there shall be joy before the angels of 
God upon one sinner doing penance. 

6. The Prodigal Son 

And He said : A certain man had two sons : and the younger 
of them said to his father : Father, give me the portion of 
substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his 
substance. And not many days after the younger son gather- 
ing all together, went abroad into a far country, and there 
wasted his substance living riotously. And after he had spent 
all, there came a mighty famine in that country, and he began 
to be in want. And he went and cleaved to one of the citizens 
of that country. And he sent him into his farm to feed swine. 
And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks the 
swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And returning to 
himself, he said: How many hired servants in my father's 
house abound Avith bread, and I here perish with hunger? I 
will arise and will go to my father, and say to him : Father, 
I have sinned against heaven, and before thee : I am not now 
worthy to be called thy son : make me as one of thy hired 
servants. And rising up he came to his father. And when 
he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and was moved 
with compassion, and running to him, fell upon his neck and 
kissed him. And the son said to him : Father, I have sinned 
against heaven, and before thee, I am not now worthy to be 
called thy son. And the father said to his servants : Bring 
forth quickly the first robe, and put it on him, and put a ring 
on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted 
calf, and kill it, and let us eat, and make merry: because this 
my son was dead, and is come to life again: was lost, and is 
found. And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was 
in the field, and when he came and drew nigh to the house, 
he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the ser- 
vants, and asked what these things meant. And he said to 
him: Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the 
fatted calf, because he hath received him safe. And he was 
angry and would not go in. His father therefore coming out, 



ON THE SABBATH 197 

began to intreat him. And he answering, said to his father: 
Behold, for so many years do I serve thee, and I have never 
transgressed thy commandment, and yet thou hast never given 
me a kid to make merry with my friends. But as soon as this 
thy son is come, who hath devoured his substance with harlots, 
thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. But he said to him: 
Son, thou art always with me, and all I have is thine : But it 
was fit that we should make merry and be glad, for this thy 
brother was dead, and is come to life again : he was lost, and 
is found." 

Gladly would I, like the prodigal son, throw myself into 
thy arms and be thy child once more. By my sins I have 
been exiled from thee, am become friendless, homeless, yet 
ever yearning for reconciliation and peace. How can I re- 
turn? I will arise from degrading sinfulness, begin a better 
life, become a new man. I will learn to hate what I have 
hitherto loved, sensuality ; and will shun it f orevermore. What 
I have hitherto so carefully avoided, the cross of self-denial, I 
will now seek and embrace. How can I do this? Behold, 
unhappy soul, so long a prisoner in the meshes of bad, 
vicious habits ! your Saviour comes to meet you. He knows 
the wretchedness of your condition. Be not embarrassed, but 
listen to His counsel. What He asks of you to do in the first 
place is easy and simple, and the rest will follow of itself and 
in its own time. To pave the way for your change of life you 
need preventing grace. How easily you can obtain it ! Do 
some good deed to the poor and helpless for Jesus' sake, and 
you have it. You have money, then give alms. You have 
spare time, visit the sick. You have talent, use it for the 
advancement of some good Christian work. Do this but for 
a short time, and, unnoticed by yourself, your conversion will 
begin. Helped by God's grace you will find less difficulty in 
your conversion and sanctification than you suppose. If you 
have hitherto squandered in vice the goods and talents en- 
trusted to you, the wise use that you will now make of them 
for the poor and needy will save you. This is the meaning of 
the following parable. 

7. The Unjust Steward 

"And He said also to His disciples: There was a certain 
rich man who had a steward : and. the same was accused unto 
him, that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and 
said to him : How is it that I hear this of thee ? give an account 



198 JESUS CURES THE DROPSICAL ]\IAN 

of thy stewardship : for now thou canst be steward no longer. 
And the steward said within himself: What shall I do, be- 
cause my lord taketh away from me the stewardship? To 
dig I am not able ; to beg I am ashamed. I know what I will 
do, that when I shall be removed from the stewardship, they 
may receive me into their houses. Therefore calling together 
every one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first: How much 
dost thou owe my lord? But he said : An hundred barrels of 
oil. And he said to him : Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, 
and write fifty. Then he said to another : And how much dost 
thou owe ? TVlio said : An hundred quarters of wheat. He 
said to him : Take thy bill and write eighty. And the lord 
commended the unjust steward, forasmuch as he had done 
wisely : for the children of this world are Aviser in their 
generation than the children of light. And I say to you: 
Make unto you friends of the mammon of iniquity : that when 
you shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwell- 
ings. ' ' 

Remember that our Lord does not commend the dishonesty 
of the steward, but simply recommends us to use some such 
shrewdness in making friends, by doing acts of kindness with 
material goods. So that those needy ones whom we benefit 
may be able to befriend and assist us ; for Christ had already 
said "theirs is the kingdom of heaven," and it may be by their 
very prayers that its doors shall be opened to us. 

"He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also 
in that which is greater : and he that is unjust in that which 
is little, is unjust also in that which is greater. If then you 
have not been faithful in the unjust mammon : who will trust 
you Anth that which is the true? And if you have not been 
faithful in that which is another's: who will give you that 
which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for 
either he will hate the one, and love the other ; or he will hold 
to the one, and despise the other : you can not serve God and 
mammon." 

The Pharisees and the other wealthy Jews had proved un- 
faithful in what of itself is small and trifling, and foreign to 
the nature and destiny of the soul, namely, the disposition of 
material goods. They had employed them, not to the advan- 
tage of the poor and needy, but to gratify their own avarice. 
Hence they must not now expect to share in those truly noble 
and valuable goods which respond to the innermost nature and 
wants of the human soul, namely, truth and grace in Christ. 



THE PARABLE OF THE RICH GLUTTON 199 

This is the curse that always overtakes the wealthy who do 
not out of their abundance assist their fellow-man, especially 
the poor. 



CHAPTER XLIV 

THE PARABLE OF THE RICH GLUTTON AND THE 

BEGGAR. ON THE INDISSOLUBILITY OF 

MARRIAGE. ADMONITIONS 

Matt. xix. 3-12; Mark x. 2-12; Luke xvi. 14-17, 10 

1. Lazarus and Dives 

"Now the Pharisees who were covetous, heard all these 
things : and they derided Him. And He said to them : You 
are they who justify yourselves before men : but God knoweth 
your hearts : for that which is high to men, is an abomination 
before God. The law and the prophets were until John : from 
that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every one 
useth violence toward it. And it is easier for heaven and 
earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. There was a 
certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen : 
and feasted sumptuously every day. And there was a certain 
beggar named Lazarus, w^ho lay at his gate, full of sores, 
desiring to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich 
man's table, and no one did give him: moreover the dogs 
came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the 
beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's 
bosom. And the rich man also died : and he was buried in 
hell. And lifting up his eyes, when he was in torments, he 
saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he 
cried and said : Father Abraham have mercy on me, and send 
Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, to 
cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. And 
Abraham said to him : Son, remember that thou didst receive 
good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazarus evil things : 
but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented; and be- 
sides all this, between us and you there is fixed a great chaos : 
so that they who would pass from hence to you, can not, nor 
from thence come hither. And he said : Then, father, I be- 
seech thee that thou wouldst send him to my father's house; 
for I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them, lest 



200 THE PARABLE OF THE RICH GLUTTON 

they also come into this place of torments. And Abraham 
said to him : They have Moses and the prophets : let them hear 
them. But he said : No, father Abraham : but if one went to 
them from the dead, they will do penance. And he said to 
him : If they hear not ]\Ioses and the prophets, neither will 
they believe, if one rise again from the dead." 

2. The Indissolubility of Marriage 

"There came to Jesus the Pharisees tempting Him, and they 
asked Him, saying: Is it lawful for a man to put away his 
wife for every cause? He answering saith to them: What 
did Moses command you? Have ye not read that he who 
made man from the beginning, made them male and female? 
and he said : For this cause shall man leave father and mother, 
and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be in one 
flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. What 
therefore (lod hath joined together, let no man put asunder. 

"They say to Him: Why then did IMoses command to give 
a bill of divorce and to put away? Jesus answered and saith 
to them : Because of the hardness of your heart, Moses wrote 
you that precept, and permitted you to put aveay your wives ; 
but from the beginning it was not so. 

"And in the house again His disciples asked Him concern- 
ing the same thing. And He saith to them : I say to you, that 
whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornica- 
tion, and shall marry another, committeth adultery against 
her : and he that shall marry her that is put away, committeth 
adultery. And if the wife shall put away her husband and 
be married to another, she committeth adultery." 

Christ had already, in His Sermon on the Mount, estab- 
lished the indissolubility of the marriage tie, adding that the 
union made by a divorced party is no marriage, but simply 
an adulterous union which a sincere woman may and must 
abandon. Christian marriage must be indissoluble: for what 
would otherwise become of the tender, weak, and helpless 
wife, if her husband, with a view to another matrimonial 
alliance, should be tempted to forsake her? Christian mar- 
riage must be indissoluble : otherwise what would become of 
the education and bringing up of children and of the family, 
which is the kej^stone of society and of the state? Certainly 
much and frequent sorrow is to be found among married 
people, springing from infirmity, from the levity or harshness 
of one or the other party. But just to meet this state of 



INDISSOLUBILITY OF MARRIAGE 201 

affairs, our blessed Lord raised matrimony to the dignity and 
efficacy of a sacrament; upon receiving which worthily, all 
those graces are added which are requisite and sufficient to 
enable married persons to bear the matrimonial cross with 
patience and merit. 

3. Celibacy 

' ' Then His disciples said to Him : If the case of a man with 
his wife be so, it is not expedient to marry. He saith to them : 
All men take not this word, but they to whom it is given. 
For there are eunuchs, who were born so from their mother's 
womb, and there are eunuchs who were made so by men : and 
there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the 
kingdom of heaven. He that can take, let him take it." 

Certainly the unmarried state of those who remain so volun- 
tarily, and for the sake of Jesus Christ, is the state most 
perfect and most pleasing to God. But those, too, to whom 
marriage becomes impossible, either from an absence of good 
appearance, from poverty, sickness, the wickedness or neglect 
of men, may acquire much merit in their involuntary celibacy, 
if, submitting with patience and resignation, they preserve 
their souls from all unchaste thoughts and desires, and await 
with joyous hope the coming of the heavenly bridegroom. 
Envy not the good fortune of those who are well married. 
It is not always good. Are you unmarried, then recall to 
mind frequently and seriously the words of St. Paul : ' ' But 
I say to the unmarried and to the widows : It is good for them 
if they continue even as I. Now, concerning virgins, I have 
no commandment of the Lord: but I give counsel" (1 Cor. 
vii.). Those who marry do well; but those who do not, do 
better. Remember also, that as abundant graces are given to 
enable the unmarried to live chastely, scandals arising from 
the defilement of this holy state are shocking. Grace will be 
given only to him who prays fervently and perseveringly 
for it. 

4. On Scandal 

"And Jesus said to His disciples: It is impossible that 
scandals should not come : but woe to him through whom they 
come. It were better for him that a millstone were hanged 
about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should 
scandalize one of these little ones. 

"Take heed to yourselves. If thy brother sin against thee, 
reprove him: and if he do penance, forgive him. And if he 



202 JESUS AT THE FEAST OF THE 

sin against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a 
day be converted nnto thee, saying, I repent : forgive him. 

"And the apostles said to the Lord: Increase our faith. 
And the Lord said : If you had faith like to a grain of mus- 
tard-seed, you might say to this mulberry-tree : Be thou rooted 
up, and be thou transplanted into the sea : and it would 
obey you. 

"Which of you having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, 
will say to him when he is come from the field : Immediately 
go sit down to meat : and will not rather say to him : Make 
ready my supper, and gird thyself and serve me whilst I eat 
and drink, and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth 
he thank that servant for doing the things which he com- 
manded him? I think not. So you also when you shall have 
done all these things that are commanded you, say: We are 
unprofitable servants : we have done that which we ought 
to do." 

Our Saviour merely alludes to the rough and hasty treat- 
ment of their servants by the Jews, in order to speak his 
parable, and not to approve of such treatment. He merely 
adverts to existing facts, and draws therefrom this exhorta- 
tion to Christian humility. 



CHAPTER XLV 



JESUS AT THE FEAST OF THE TABERNACLES IN 
JERUSALEM 

Luke xvii. 11; John vii. 2-53 

1. Jesus Repairs to Jerusalem Without the Knowledge 
OP His Friends 

"And it came to pass, as Jesus was going to Jerusalem, He 
passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Now the 
Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. And His brethren 
said to Him : Pass from hence and go into Judea : that Thy 
disciples also may see Thy works which Thou dost. For 
there is no man that doth anything in secret, and He Himself 
seeketh to be known openly. If Thou do these things, mani- 
fest Thyself to the world. For neither did His brethren be- 
lieve in Him. Then Jesus said to them : My time is not yet 
come, but your time is always ready. The world can not 



TABERNACLES IN JERUSALEM 203 

hate you; but Me it hateth, because I give testimony of it, 
that the works thereof are evil. Go you up to this festival 
day, but I go^ not up to this festival day; because My time 
is not accomplished. When He had said these things. He 
Himself stayed in Galilee. 

"But after His brethren were gone up, then He also went 
up to the feast, not openly, but, as it were, in secret. The 
Jews therefore sought Him on the festival day, and said : 
Where is He? And there was much murmuring among the 
multitude concerning Him. For some said : He is a good 
man. And others said : No ; but He seduceth the people. Yet 
no man spoke openly of Him, for fear of the Jews," that is, 
before the elders of the Jews, and the scribes and chief- 
priests. 

2. He Teaches in the Temple 

"Now about the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the 
temple and taught. And the Jews wondered, saying: How 
doth this man know letters, having never learned? Jesus 
answered them and said : My doctrine is not Mine, but His 
that sent Me. If any man will do the will of Him he shall 
know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak 
of Myself. He that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own 
glory : but he that seeketh the glory of Him that sent Him, 
he is true and there is no injustice in him. Did not Moses 
give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law ? Why 
seek ye to kill Me ? " 

' ' The multitude answered and said : Thou hast a devil ; who 
seeketh to kill Thee? Jesus answered and said to them: One 
work I have done and you all wonder : Therefore Moses gave 
you circumcision (not because it is of Moses, but of the 
fathers), and on the Sabbath-day you circumcise a man. If 
a man receive circumcision on the Sabbath-day, that the law 
of Moses may not be broken, are you angry at Me, because I 
have healed the whole man on the Sabbath-day? Judge not 
according to the appearance, but judge just judgment." 

3. Christ is Sent by the Father 

"Some therefore of Jerusalem said: Is not this He whom 

they seek to kill ? And behold He speaketh openly, and they 

say nothing to Him. Have the rulers known for a truth that 

this is the Christ ? But we know this man whence He is : but 

iThat is to say, I go not yet; not to the opening of the festival, but on 
the third day; and privately, without you. 



204 JESUS AT THE FEAST OF THE 

when the Chiist cometh, no man knoweth whence He is. Jesus 
therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying: You 
both know Me and you know whence I am : and I am not come 
of Myself; but He that sent Me is true, whom you know not. 
I know Him, because I am from Him, and He hath sent Me. ' ' 

4. The Pharisees and Chief Priests Seek to Capture Jesus 

' ' They sought therefore to apprehend Him, and no man laid 
hands on Him, because His hour was not yet come. But of 
the people, many believed in Him and said : "When the Christ 
cometh, shall He do more miracles than these which this man 
doth? The Pharisees heard the people murmuring these 
things concerning Him : and the rulers and Pharisees sent 
ministers to apprehend Him. Jesus therefore said to them: 
Yet a little while I am with you, and then I go to Him that 
sent ]\Ie. You shall seek Me and shall not find Me: and where 
I am thither you can not come. The Jews therefore said 
among themselves: Whither will He go that we shall not find 
Him? will He go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and 
teach the Gentiles? What is this saying that He hath said: 
You shall seek Me, and you shall not find Me; and where I 
am, you can not come?" 

"And on the last great day of the festivity, Jesus stood and 
cried, saying : If any man thirst, let him come to Me and 
drink. He that believeth in Me, as the Scripture saith. Out 
of his helly shall flow rivers of living water. Now this He 
said of the spirit which they should receive who believed in 
Him : for as yet the spirit was not given, because Jesus Avas 
not glorified. Of that multitude, therefore, when they had 
heard these words of His, some said : This is the prophet in- 
deed. Others said : This is the Christ. But some said : Doth 
the Christ come out of Galilee ? Doth not the Scripture say : 
That Christ cometh out of the seed of David, and from Bethle- 
hem, the town where David was ? So there arose a dissension 
among the people because of Him. And some of them would 
have apprehended Him ; but no man laid hands upon Him. ' ' 

"The ministers therefore came to the chief-priests and the 
Pharisees. And they said to them : Why have you not brought 
Him ? The ministers answered : Never did man speak like 
this man. The Pharisees therefore answered them : Are you 
also seduced? Hath any one of the rulers believed in Him, 
or of the Pharisees ? But this multitude that knoweth not the 
law are accursed." 



TABERNACLES IN JERUSALEM 205 

5. NicoDEMUS Depends Jesus. The Unbelief of the 
Leaders 

"Nicodemus said to them, he that came to him by night, 
who was one of them : Doth our law judge any man, unless it 
first hear him, and know what he doth ? They answered and 
said to him : Art thou also a Galilean ? Search the Scriptures, 
and see that out of Galilee a prophet riseth not. And every 
man returned to his own house." 

The incredulity of the high-priests and Pharisees, so offen- 
sively expressed eighteen centuries ago, bears strong resem- 
blance to the unbelief of the so-called enlightened infidels of 
our times. Many of the learned and better class, it is true, 
had given adhesion to our Saviour, and humbly accepted His 
doctrine and precepts. These were some rich public officers, 
the centurion who humbly deemed himself unworthy of the 
presence of Christ, Lazarus and his sisters, and the lawyers 
Nathaniel and Nicodemus. In general, however, it was the 
simple and the lowly who followed Christ, whilst the so-called 
respectable class, in their jealousy and unbelief, sought to 
turn the multitude against Him ; and if one of themselves, like 
Nicodemus, ventured to say a word in His defence, they loaded 
him with abuse and insult. Verily, then as to-day, the words 
held good, ' ' The poor have the gospel preached to them. ' ' 

Whence is this? Why do we meet among the so-called 
enlightened and self-styled respectable classes, among the 
wealthy and the influential, so many incredulous, lukewarm, 
and weak-kneed Catholics ? So many bitter enemies of Christ 
and His Church ? The cause is twofold : on the one hand, 
pride ; and on the other, inordinate enjoyment of this life, or 
sensuality. 

Their pride will not permit them to submit their reason 
to the yoke of faith, and, like common people, believe religious 
mysteries beyond their comprehension. As they are above 
ordinary mortals in point of knowledge, position, and influ- 
ence, it behooves their vanity and self-importance to hold 
themselves better than common folks in the affair of religion, 
and to condemn their opinions and their faith as childish 
fancies : flattering their own diminutive souls that they have 
flown high above this low standard of intellect. Having 
acquired much knowledge and learning, they therefore become 
accustomed to put such great, unquestioned, and unquestion- 
able confidence in their own wonderful intellects that they 
fear to give assent to any truth transcending their powerful 



206 THE FEAST OF THE TABERNACLES 

understandings. They do not notice that there is a difference 
between natural and supernatural truth, and forget com- 
pletely^ the melancholy aberrations of man's intellect when- 
ever he was left to his own resources, or to the bright revela- 
tions of his own god, his own dear and darling self. 

Their pride will not permit them to accept saving truth from 
the lips, nor saving grace in the sacraments, from the hands 
of mortal men, whose superiors they may be in worldly cun- 
ning and general information. The priest, as servant of 
Christ and of His Church, must exact from those entrusted 
to his care, faith and obedience in spiritual matters, and, like 
the Baptist of old, must reprove the refined, civilized, and 
enlightened vices of the rich as well as the vulgar sins of the 
lower orders. Let the priest, with bleeding heart and com- 
pelled by stern duty, act thus, and lo ! they, in their enlighten- 
ment and urbanity, accuse him of intolerable presumption, 
arrogance, and ecclesiastical pride. Then they contemptu- 
ously turn their backs upon his ministrations, and filled with 
hatred and rancor, too often, alas ! for their own good, but to 
the relief and credit of the Church, they leave it and God 
together. 

Finally, their pride forbids them to profess their faith 
before an enlightened circle of friends and acquaintances, 
and hence they can not practise its requirements. How 
dreadful to be wanting in the spirit of civilization and 
progress ! Many a one begins without a serious thought to 
speak against truth, whilst, in his heart, he thinks differently 
and knows better. But often this human respect, this treason 
to Christ, brings its own punishment upon him, so that gradu- 
ally and imperceptibly unbelief gripes his very heart, and he 
unhappily winds up in the end by becoming in reality what 
he was at first only in pretence and out of vanity, a down- 
right infidel. 

The second reason why so many of the upper classes ape 
the Scribes and Pharisees and fall into infidelity and hatred 
of Christ and His Church, is their inordinate attachment to 
their wealth, which is nearly always entirely, or at least 
in part, unlawful and ill-gotten. Its possessors, therefore, 
in order to have peace wdth Jesus and their own consciences, 
must make restitution. To avoid this unpleasant duty, these 
unfortunate people seek an escape by a wholesale denial of 
Christ and His holy law. Even if they have lawfully ac- 
quired their wealth, its possession, preservation, increase, and 



THE WOMAN CHARGED WITH ADULTERY 207 

use, hold such exclusive claim upon their hearts and souls, 
that all relish for spiritual things, for eternity, and for God 
Himself, is totally lost. Religious sentiment is smothered in 
luxury. Behold the dangers of riches, and of everything great 
and grand in worldly eyes ! 



CHAPTER XLVI 

CHRIST PARDONS THE WOMAN CHARGED WITH 

ADULTERY. HE TEACHES AGAIN IN THE 

TEMPLE. THE JEWS ATTEMPT 

TO STONE HIM 

John viii. 1-59 

1. Jesus Pardons the Woman Charged with Adultery 

''Jesus then went unto Mount Olivet. And early in the 
morning He came again into the temple, and all the people 
came to Him, and sitting down He taught them. And the 
Scribes and Pharisees bring unto Him a woman taken in 
adultery : and they set her in the midst. And said to Him : 
Master, this woman was even now taken in adultery. Now 
Moses in the law commanded us to stone such a one. But what 
sayest Thou? And this they said tempting Him, that they 
might accuse Him. But Jesus, bowing Himself down, wrote 
with His finger on the ground. When therefore they continued 
asking Him, He lifted up Himself and said to them: He that 
is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 
And again stooping down. He wrote on the ground. But they 
hearing this, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest: 
and Jesus alone remained, and the woman standing in the 
midst. Then Jesus lifting up Himself, said to her: Woman, 
where are they that accused thee? Hath no man condemned 
thee ? Who said : No man, Lord. And Jesus said : Neither 
will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more." 

Glorious wisdom of our Redeemer ! How with a single 
word it silences the malicious accusers, and brings their 
treacherous plottings to shame ! Compassionate love of our 
Saviour ! How it leads this poor fallen woman to perfect 
sorrow for her sins, frees her not only from the temporal pen- 
alty of her crime, but also from the eternal guilt ! 



208 CHRIST PARDONS THE WOMAN 

2. He is the Light of the World. The Father's Testimony 

"Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying: I am the 
light of the world : he that followeth Me, walketh not in dark- 
ness, but shall have the light of life. The Pharisees therefore 
said to Him : Thou givest testimony of Thyself: Thy testimony 
is not true. Jesus answered, and said to them : Although I 
give testimony of ]\Iyself, ]\Iy testimony is true: for I know 
whence I came, and whither I go ; but you know not whence 
I come, or whither I go. You judge according to the flesh : 
I judge not any man : And if I do judge, My judgment is 
true : because I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent 
Me. And in your law it is written, that the testimony of 
two men is true. I am one that give testimony of Myself: 
and the Fatlier that sent ]\Ie, giveth testimony of Me. They 
said therefore to Him : Where is Thy Father? Jesus answered : 
Neither ]\Ie do you know, nor My Father: if you did know 
Me, perhaps you would know My Father also. These words 
Jesus spoke in the treasury teaching in the temple: and no 
man laid hands on Him, because His hour was not yet come." 

3. Jesus SpkiVks of His Death. The Pharisees Will Die 

IN Their Sins 

' ' Again therefore Jesus said to them : I go, and you shall 
seek Me, and you shall die in your sin. Whither I go you can 
not come. The Jews therefore said : Will He kill Himself, 
because He said: AVhither I go you can not come? And He 
said to them : You are from beneath, I am from above. You 
are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said 
to you, that you shall die in your sins : for if you believe not 
that I am He, you shall die in your sin. They said therefore 
to Him : Who art Thou ? Jesus said to them : The beginning, 
Avho also speak unto you. j\Iany things I have to speak and 
to judge of you; but He that sent Me is true: and the things 
I have heard of Him, these same I speak in the world. And 
they understood not that He called God His Father. Jesus 
therefore said to them : ^\Tien you shall have lifted up the 
Son of ]\Ian, then shall you know that I am He and that I 
do nothing of Myself, but as the Father hath taught Me, these 
things I speak. And He that sent Me is with Me, and He 
hath not left Me alone : for I do always the things that please 
Him." 

As the hour of the bloody sacrifice of reconciliation draws 



CHARGED WITH ADULTERY 209 

near, the plainer and more glorious become the manifestations 
of Christ. He is the light of the world, the fair and just 
judge, the omnipotent source and beginning of all things, and 
the one by whom all things have been made. He is the am- 
bassador of God the Father, the Son of God, who was before 
Abraham. Each day His words are stronger and more severe, 
as called forth by the persistent incredulity and opposition 
of His enemies. 

4. Children of Abraham. Children op God. Children 
OP THE Devil 

"When He spoke these things many believed in Him. 
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him : If you con- 
tinue in My word, you shall be My disciples indeed: and 
you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 
They answered Him : We are the seed of Abraham, and we 
have never been slaves to any man : how sayest Thou : You 
shall be free ? Jesus answered them : Amen, amen I say unto 
you: that whosoever committeth sin, is the servant of sin. 
Now the servant abideth not in the house for ever : but the 
son abideth for ever : If therefore the son shall make you 
free, you shall be free indeed. I know that you are the 
children of Abraham : but you seek to kill Me, because My 
word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen 
with My Father; and you do the things that you have seen 
with your father. They answered and said to Him : Abraham 
is our father. Jesus saith to them : If you be the children of 
Abraham, do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to 
kill Me, a man who have spoken the truth to you, which I 
have heard of God : this Abraham did not. You do the works 
of your father. They said therefore to Him : We are not 
born of fornication : we have one Father, even God. Jesus 
therefore said to them : If God were your Father, you would 
indeed love Me : for from God I proceeded, and came : for I 
came not of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not know 
My speech? Because you can not hear My word. You are 
of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you 
will do : he was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood 
not in the truth, because truth is not in him : when he speaketh 
a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar, and the father 
thereof. But if I say the truth, you believe Me not. Which 
of you shall convince Me of sin? If I say the truth to you, 
why do you not believe Me ? He that is of God, heareth the 



210 THE BLIND MAN CURED ON THE 

words of God. Therefore you hear them not, because you are 
not of God." 

5. The Jews Attempt to Stone Jesus Because He Claimed 
TO BE Greater than Abraham 

"The Jews therefore answered and said to Him: Do not 
we say well that Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 
Jesus answered : I have not a devil : but I honor My Father, 
and you have dishonored ]\Ie. But I seek not My own glory : 
there is One that seeketh and judgeth. Amen, amen I say 
to you : if any man keep My word, he shall not see death for 
ever. The Jews therefore said : Now we know that Thou hast 
a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets, and Thou say- 
est: If any man keep My word, he shall not taste death for 
ever. Art Thou greater than our father Abraham, Avho is 
dead? and the prophets are dead. Whom dost Thou make 
Thyself? Jesus answered: If I glorify Myself, My glory is 
nothing: it is My Father that glorifieth Me, of whom you 
say that He is your God. And you have not known Him, but 
I know Him : and if I shall say that I know Him not, I shall 
be like to you, a liar. But I do know Him, and do keep His 
word. Abraham your father rejoiced that He might see My 
day: he saw it, and was glad. The Jews therefore said to 
Him : Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen 
Abraham? Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say to you, 
before Abraham was made, I am. They took up stones there- 
fore to cast at Him : but Jesus hid Himself and went out of 
the temple." 



CHAPTER XLVII 

THE BLIND MAN CURED ON THE SABBATH-DAY. 
JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD 

John ix. 1; x. 

1. The Blind Man Receives His Sight 

As light, by its brightness, illumines our way and cheers 
our hearts, so did our Saviour seek to enlighten the Jews by 
the guiding rays of truth, and to attract them to Himself by 
the gentle brightness of His charity for men. When this 
treatment proved unavailing, He permitted His divine majesty 



SABBATH-DAY. JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD 211 

and dignity to flash like the lightning upon them, so that they 
stood dazzled to blindness. A well deserved judgment it was. 

It is not, however, by any means, the final and irrevocable 
sentence. God wishes not the death of a sinner, but rather 
that he be converted and live. He is the Good Shepherd who 
lays down His life for His sheep. Once again He exhibits 
His usual compassion and mercy, and although He did not 
succeed in softening the hard hearts of the Jews, He shows 
them a proof of His readiness and eagerness to cure their 
persistent blindness of soul. 

"And Jesus passing by, saw a man who was blind from his 
birth. And His disciples asked Him : Rabbi, who hath sinned, 
this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind ? Jesus 
answered : Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents ; 
but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 
I must work the works of Him that sent Me, whilst it is day : 
the night cometh when no man can work; as long as I am in 
the world, I am the light of the world. When He had said 
these things, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the 
spittle, and spread the clay upon his eyes, and said to him: 
Go, wash in the pool of Siloe (which is interpreted, Sent). 
He went therefore and washed, and he came seeing. The 
neighbors, therefore, and they who had seen him before that 
he was a beggar, said : Is not this he that sat, and begged ? 
Some said : This is he. But others said : No, but he is like 
him. But he said : I am he. They said therefore to him : 
How were thy eyes opened ? He answered : That man that is 
called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes, and said to me : 
Go to the pool of Siloe, and wash. And I went. I washed, 
and I see. And they said to him: "Where is He? He saith: 
I know not." 

2. The Pharisees Take Offense 

"They bring him that had been blind, to the Pharisees. 
Now it was the Sabbath when Jesus made the clay, and opened 
his eyes. Again therefore the Pharisees asked him, how he 
had received his sight. But he said to them : He put clay upon 
my eyes, and I washed, and I see. Some therefore of the 
Pharisees said : This man is not of God, who keepeth not the 
Sabbath. But others said : How can a man that is a sinner do 
such miracles ? And there was a division among them. They 
say therefore to the blind man again : What sayest thou of 
Him that hath opened thy eyes ? And he said : He is a 



212 THE BLIND MAN CURED ON THE 

prophet. The Jews then did not believe concerning him, that 
he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called 
the parents of him that had received his sight, and asked 
them, saying : Is this yonr son who you say was born blind ? 
How then doth he now see ? His parents answered them, and 
said : We know that this is our son, and that he was born 
blind : but how he now seeth, we know not : or who hath 
opened his eyes, we know not : ask himself : he is of age, let 
him speak for himself. These things his parents said, because 
they feared the Jews: for the Jews had already agreed among 
themselves that if any man should confess him to be Christ, 
he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore did his 
parents say : He is of age, ask him. They therefore called 
the man again that had been blind, and said to him : Give 
glory to God ; we know that this man is a sinner. He said 
therefore to them : If he be a sinner I know not : one thing 
I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see. They said then 
to him : What did He to thee ? How did He open thy eyes ? 
He answered them : I have told you already, and you have 
heard: why would you hear it again? will you also become 
His disciples? They reviled him therefore, and said: Be 
thou His disciple : but we are the disciples of Moses. We 
know that God spoke to Moses : but as to this man, we know 
not from whence He is. The man answered, and said to them : 
WTiy herein is a wonderful thing that you know^ not from 
whence He is, and He hath opened my eyes. Now we know 
that God doth not hear sinners : but if a man be a server of 
God, and doth His will, him He heareth. From the beginning 
of the world it hath not been heard, that anj^ man hath opened 
the eyes of one born blind. ITnless this man were of God, 
He could not do any thing. They answered, and said to him : 
Thou w'ast wholly born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And 
they cast him out." 

Compare the actions of the simple yet sensible and shrewd 
man who had recovered his eyesight, to the deep-designing yet 
foolish wisdom of the Pharisees. What a contrast ! Again 
they do not want to believe in the miracle; it can not have 
been such. It would not be to their interest to admit it, and 
they must devise some plausible reason for denying it. What 
poverty of invention in their minds! "He who would dese- 
crate the Sabbath-day by curing a blind man, is a sinner; 
not of God, therefore not a prophet, and of course not the 
Christ." So they reason. And this is the extent of their 



SABBATH-DAY. JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD 213 

logic. Yet it is sufficient to induce the Pharisees to close their 
eyes and become voluntarily blind to a fact attested by the 
blind man, proved by his parents, and witnessed by the gen- 
eral public. 

3. The Blind Man Sees Jesus and Adores Him as the Son 

OP God; while Those Who See, that is, the 
Pharisees, become Spiritually Blind 

"Jesus heard that they had cast the blind man out, and 
when He had found him. He said to him : Dost thou believe 
in the Son of God ? He answered, and said : Who is He, 
Lord, that I may believe in Him? And Jesus said to him: 
Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee. 
And he said : I believe, Lord. And falling down, he adored 
Him. And Jesus said : For judgment I am come into this 
world : that they who see not may see, and they who see may 
become blind. And some of the Pharisees, who were with 
Him, heard, and they said unto Him: Are we also blind? 
Jesus said to them : If you were blind, you should not have 
sin; but now you say: We see. Your sin remaineth. " 

4. The Good Shepherd and the Hireling. The History op 

the King's Son in Search op the Stray Sheep 

' ' Amen, amen, I say to you : he that entereth not by the 
door into the sheep fold, but climbeth up another way, the 
same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the 
door, is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth, 
and the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by 
name, and leadeth them out. And when he hath let out his 
own sheep, he goeth before them : and the sheep follow him, 
because they know his voice, but a stranger they follow not, 
but fly from him : because they know not the voice of strangers. 
This proverb Jesus spoke to them. But they understood not 
what He spoke to them. Jesus therefore said to them again : 
Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All 
others as many as have come, are thieves and robbers : and 
the sheep heard them not. I am the door. By Me if any 
man enter in, he shall be saved : and he shall go in, and go 
out, and shall find pastures. The thief cometh not, but for 
to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they may 
have life, and may have it more abundantly. I am the good 
shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. 



214 THE BLIND MAN CURED ON THE 

But the hireling and he that is not the shepherd, whose own 
the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep, 
and flieth : and the wolf eatcheth and scattereth the sheep. 
And the hireling flieth, because he is a hireling, and he hath 
no care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd : and I know 
mine, and mine know Me. As the Father knoweth me, and I 
know the Father : and I lay down My life for My sheep. And 
other sheep I have, that are not of this fold : them also I must 
bring, and they shall hear My voice and there shall be one 
fold and one shepherd. Therefore doth the Father love Me : 
because I lay down My life, that I may take it again. No 
man taketh it away from Me : but I lay it down of Myself, 
and I have power to lay it down : and I have power to take 
it up again. This counuandment have I received of My Father. 
A dissension rose again among the Jews for these words. And 
many of them said : He hath a devil, and is mad : why hear 
you Him ? Others said : These are not the words of one that 
hath a devil: can a devil open the eyes of the blind?" 

i\Iore than 200 years ago, a devout spiritual writer com- 
posed a simple yet affecting allegory in elucidation of the 
above parable of the Good Shepherd. Although its language 
is plain and its style lacking in elegance, yet the subject itself 
is sublime. This quaint though charming story, which has 
edified and instructed our fathers, can not fail to edify and 
instruct us, if, like them, we read it with childlike simplicity 
and earnestness. 

"One day, something more than 1500 years ago, a devout 
pilgrim was wending his weary way toward Jerusalem, 
whither he was hastening in order to fulfill in Solomon's tem- 
ple a vow which he had made many years previously ; to offer 
a long promised sacrifice. As he was making his way through 
a dense forest, just within the confines of the Holy Land, he 
heard a distant voice, evidently of a young person, calling 
repeatedly and in a plaintive tone: 'Lambkin, little lambkin, 
come to me!' The pilgrim listened to the youthful voice, 
whose tones were so exceedingl}^ tender and sweet that he 
surely thought it must be the voice of an angel. Hearing 
the sound coming toward him, he stood still, and at last dis- 
covered a beautiful boy emerging from the thicket, a shep- 
herd's crook in one hand, a pouch at his side, and with bare 
feet, and uncovered head. As the blooming youth stood still 
for a moment, the pilgrim became fully convinced that so 
fair a form must belong to heaven. His bright blue eyes, 



SABBATH-DAY. JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD 215 

his clustering golden hair, his ruby lips, his glowing cheeks, 
his graceful form, were all too lovely to belong to earth. In 
a word, his beauty was so fascinating that the heart must be 
a stony one indeed which would not love him. And yet the 
boy was in deep affliction and shed tears profusely. 

"The good pilgrim, very much astonished, both at the 
youth's beauty and his very deep distress, said to him: 'My 
child, how comes it that you are here all alone in the wilder- 
ness ? why do you weep so bitterly ? ' The boy replied through 
his tears : ' Ah, I have reason to weep, and be very unhappy, 
for I can not find what I am eagerly looking for.' 'And what 
are you in search of, pray?' inquired the wondering pilgrim. 
'My Father,' rejoined the youth, 'owns a hundred sheep. 
Ninety-nine of them are well cared for at home, but the hun- 
dredth, which is our favorite, and indeed the fairest of the 
flock, has wandered away from home and got lost in these 
dismal woods. I am now in search of him, and am very tired, 
for I have been searching for many years. Not being able 
to find him, I am very sad, and indeed have nearly wept my 
eyes away in fatigue and disappointment.' Then the pilgrim 
asked : 'And who are you, my child, and what is your Father's 
name?' The youth replied: 'My Father is a great Lord and 
King, with thousands, aye, tens of thousands of dependents; 
indeed, of his kingdom there is no end.' Then the good 
pilgrim, very much puzzled, rejoined: 'But if your Father is 
so grand and rich a King, how can he or you be so very 
solicitous about one paltry sheep ? ' ' True, ' replied the youth, 
'the loss of the sheep ought to be a very unimportant loss, 
but oh, my Father loved this one so dearly, that its long 
absence rends his very heart ! He can not and will not forget 
it. Therefore he ordered me to go in search of it, commanding 
sternly that I must not return to his presence till I have found 
it and shall bring it back safe and sound.' 

"The good pilgrim, wondering more and more at this 
strange story, ventured to ask again: 'And had your Father 
no one else to send out on this long and exhausting search, 
but a young and delicate lad like you?' 'Yes, my Father has 
servants enough at his command, but he chose me, his only 
son, to go in search of the lost sheep, in order to show how 
dearly he loves the wayward wanderer from his flock. ' Again 
the pilgrim suggested : 'And why did not your Father at least 
give you a servant to help you to find this stray sheep?' 'I 
did not wish to have any assistant, lest perhaps the poor 



216 THE BLIND MAN CURED ON THE 

frightened creature might be afraid to come ; to me alone he 
would not fear to come. For I thought : When the sheep 
shall perceive that I am alone, that I, the only son of my 
Father, tender and delicate as I am, have come out alone, 
without attendants and in torn garb, to wander with bleeding 
feet and aching heart over hill and dale, through the storm 
and in the scorching heat, in order to bring him home, he will 
be moved to pity and will let me save him.' 

"The pilgrim inquired further: ']\Iy child, how long have 
you been on this very weary search for your long-lost sheep?' 
His tears started afresh, as the comely youth mournfully 
answered: 'Alas! my Father sent me out when I was but a 
mere child, just able to walk; and, sadder yet, he has not 
given me even a piece of bread for my journey, nor offered 
me a place to rest my aching head. I am compelled, there- 
fore, to take care of myself and seek a scanty subsistence 
among the kind and charitable. Never, since I left my 
Father's house, have I had more than barely sufficient to 
support life, although I have to travel early and late, and to 
pass many a cold and dreary night with the hard ground for 
my bed and the canopy of heaven for my shelter.' 

"On the pilgrim's further inquiry, whether, during all 
this long lapse of time, he had not discovered any trace of 
his lost sheep, the youth replied: 'I think I have often seen 
him in the distance, but I could never get near him. For, 
as soon as the poor deluded creature would see me, he would 
not wait, but spi-ing away from me and soon get out of my 
sight and hearing. This want of confidence on his part af- 
fects me so painfully that my very heart seems to be torn 
and crushed with disappointment; for I see plainly that my 
lost sheep does not care about me, and drags me on in this 
long and fruitless search, out of sheer malice. And yet, I 
will not give him up, nor cease from my pursuit till the de- 
luded creature shall enter into himself and turn away from 
his evil wanderings.' 

"The pilgrim being now puzzled beyond measure, said : 'My 
child, how can you be so deeply interested in this one stray 
sheep as to impose upon yourself this extraordinary amount 
of fatigue, anxiety, and exposure? The creature does not 
deserve to have one half-day wasted upon him.' The young 
man replied: 'I have nothing to gain by the recovery of this 
sheep, for he is, in one sense, really undeserving of all ray 
painful efforts. But my reason for persisting in his recovery 



SABBATH-DAY. JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD 217 

is this : I have the greatest compassion for him and am filled 
with fear lest he should perish; for he is now lost, and will 
be forever lost and past recovery, if I do not find him soon. 
And, as I understand better than he does what it is to be 
forever lost, I will not desist from my pursuit till I shall have 
found him and brought him home, even if I have to lose my 
life in the effort. ' 

' ' The good pilgrim again inquired : ' And if this way- 
ward creature should at last fall into your hands, would you 
not punish him severely for all the trouble he has caused you ? ' 
' Punish him ! ' replied the youth, ' on the contrary, I would 
run toward him with open arms ; I would throw myself upon 
his neck; I would embrace him affectionately; I would lay 
him on my shoulders ; I would bring him back to my Father, 
exclaiming to our whole household : Rejoice, and make merry 
with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost ! ' 

"The wondering pilgrim could not but admire the tender 
and disinterested affection of this young stranger, and re- 
plied, with tears starting from his eyes : ' you dear and 
amiable child ! How unbounded your love is for this wander- 
ing sheep of your Father's flock! If a dog had searched for 
his master as long and as faithfully as you have pursued this 
erring sheep, his master should love him, even if he had a heart 
as hard as iron. How much more is this sheep bound to love 
you, who have been so long in search of him!' 'Ah, indeed,' 
rejoined the youth, with great vehemence, 'I love that wan- 
dering sheep so dearly, that if I saw him amid a herd of 
furious wolves, I would rush into their midst and rescue him. 
Ay, if I had a hundred lives, I would give them all up to 
rescue my sheep and save him from never-ending perdition.' 
Saying these words, he began to weep so piteously that the 
kind-hearted pilgrim could not restrain his own tears, and 
with much compassion for the strange youth, bade him adieu 
and resumed his journey toward Jerusalem. 

"The youth now plunged again into the depths of the for- 
est, hastening as best he could from one point to another, still 
weeping piteously, moaning, and sighing, and crying out: 
'Lambkin, my own long-lost sheep, come to me!' But the 
wandering creature was nowhere to be found. Then he left 
the woods, roamed over the open fields, climbed to the tops of 
the highest mountains, and with anxious eyes looked over the 
surrounding country, from one point to another, continuing 
to call out with plaintive, winning voice and amid blinding 



218 THE BLIND MAN CURED ON THE 

tears: 'Lambkin, poor wandering, sillj^ creature, come to me!' 
But yet the lost sheep was nowhere in view. Finally, the 
anxious youth, though troubled and wayworn, directed his 
weary steps toward the cities and towns, through village and 
hamlet, into farmyards and sheepfolds, inquiring of citizens 
and rustics: 'Have you not seen my long-lost sheep; have you 
not heard his bleating voice?' But, alas, God help the troubled 
youth ! no one seemed to care about him or his lost sheep. 

"And thus the persevering boy continued in untiring pur- 
suit of his lost sheep, till he became a man, and was now 
entering upon the thirty-fourth year of his age, when, at last, 
one day he discovered the object of his love surrounded by a 
pack of ravening wolves. There was no other means of rescu- 
ing his favorite from imminent danger, but to rush in him- 
self amid the wolves and snatch him away by main force. 
In his struggle with the wolves, the youthful shepherd was 
torn so dreadfully that his fair and graceful form was all one 
wound from head to foot. The furious and disappointed ani- 
mals were not satisfied with this bloody work, but charged the 
bleeding, innocent shepherd with wanting to steal his own 
sheep, and so influenced the iniquitous .judge and court that 
the gentle shepherd was condennied to die upon a cross. 

"Just as the executioners were in the act of carrying out 
this unjust sentence, it happened that our pilgrim was again 
on his way to Jerusalem. Passing near Mount Calvary and 
seeing a great number of people gathered together and very 
much excited, the venerable pilgrim pushed his way with some 
difficulty through the crowd, in order to see what was going 
on. On reaching the summit of the hill, he was horrified to 
behold his old acquaintance, the youthful shepherd whom he 
had met in the woods years ago, now hanging nailed to a 
rough cross, and just alive. The once fair and beauteous 
form was so disfigured as to be hardly recognizable. The sor- 
rowing pilgrim, drawing nearer, inquired in sad accents: 
'Alas! are you not the same comely shepherd-boy whom I 
met many years ago in search of a lost sheep?' And the 
crucified sufferer replied : ' Alas ! I am the same. ' ' Then, ' said 
the astonished pilgrim, 'how^ did you come to such a dreadful 
end ? who has thus torn and disfigured your beautiful body ? ' 
The dying shepherd answered : ' It was my own stray sheep 
that brought me to this.' 'Impossible!' exclaimed the indig- 
nant pilgrim, 'for these are the marks and wounds not of a 
sheep, but of wolves, dogs, and lions.' The shepherd again. 



SABBATH-DAY. JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD 219 

replied: 'Indeed they are the wounds inflicted upon me by 
my own wayward sheep. ' The pilgrim inquired with astonish- 
ment: 'How can this be possible? No sheep will bite his 
shepherd, nor any man; for they are naturally mild and 
gentle. ' 

" 'And yet,' persisted the suffering and dying sheplierd, 
'my own lost sheep tore me more cruelly than any lion could 
lacerate me. When, after a weary search of three-and-thirty 
years, I found him at last amid ravening wolves, and in my 
delight, was about to rush into the very teeth of these ferocious 
animals, in order to save my favorite creature; he preferred 
his enemies to me, chose to remain in their company, and even 
set the wolves upon me. Aye, and he himself ran at me, 
threw me on the ground, trampled me under his feet, lacer- 
ated me with his teeth, and joined the wolves in such a violent 
attack upon me that no member of my body escaped unhurt. 
I bore all this ill-treatment without a word of reproach. Al- 
though my Father would have sent twelve legions of soldiers 
to my assistance, I would not accept them, always hoping that 
my lost sheep would still relent, especially when he saw how 
patiently I suffered for his sake. ' 

" 'But, alas! the headstrong animal, instead of relenting, 
hounded on all the other wild animals, till, at last, they nailed 
me to this cross to die ; and here I hang in unspeakable agony 
of soul and body. And yet I continue to cry out through 
every wound in my body: Ah, thou deluded creature, erring 
sheep of my Father, come to me." I will forgive thee all the 
pain thou hast caused me ; I will not give thee even an angry 
look, but will act toward thee as if thou hadst done me no 
wrong. Alas ! poor creature, I can not die in peace till thou 
shalt come back to me. I love thee so tenderly that I would 
willingly hang in agony upon this cross for a whole year, 
rather than die without seeing thee return to our Father. 
And if I must die without thee, then I shall die in bitterness 
of heart. I conjure thee once more, for thy salvation's sake, 
leave the company of the wolves, and return to me, thy faith- 
ful, loving shepherd.' 

"And in this piteous strain, the dying shepherd continued 
to talk till the breath left his body. And when, after all, the 
lost sheep had not come back, the expiring shepherd cried out 
with such a heartrending exclamation of disappointment, that 
the heavens and the earth trembled. Then the good shepherd, 
bowing down his head, yielded up his spirit in deep anguish." 



220 THE TEN LEPERS 

Such is the story of the Good Shepherd who laid down his 
life for his sheep. From this simple allegory we may see more 
clearly how eagerly Chi-ist desired to save the lost sheep of 
Israel. 



CHAPTER XLVIII 

THE TEN LEPERS. THE SECOND COMING OF 

CHRIST. THE PERSEVERING PRAYER OF THE 

WIDOW. THE HU:\IBLE PRAYER OF THE 

PUBLICAN. THE FEAST OF THE 

DEDICATION AT JERUSALEM 

Luke xvii. 11-18; John x. 22-42 

1. Jesus Cures the Ten Lepers 

"And it came to pass as Jesus was going to Jerusalem, He 
passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as 
He entered into a certain town there met Him ten men that 
were lepers, who stood afar off, and lifted up their voices, 
saying: Jesus, IMaster, have mercy on us. Whom when He 
saw He said : Go, show yourselves to the priests. And it came 
to pass, as they went, they were made clean. And one of 
them, when he saw that he was made clean, went back, with 
a loud voice glorifying God. And he fell on his face before 
the feet of Jesus, giving thanks: and this was a Samaritan. 
And Jesus answering, said : Were not ten made clean ? and 
where are the nine? There is no one found to return and 
give glory to God, but this stranger. And Pie said to him : 
Arise, go thy way : for thy faith hath made thee whole. ' ' 

2. He Alludes to His Coming to Judge Us 

"And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of 
God should come. He answered them and said : The kingdom 
of God Cometh not with observation : neither shall they say : 
Behold here, or behold there. For lo, the kingdom of God is 
A^ithin you. And He said to His disciples: The days will 
come when you shall desire to see one day of the Son of man, 
and you shall not see it. And they will say to you : See 
here, and see there. Go ye not after, nor follow them; for 



THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST 221 

as the lightning that lighteneth from under heaven, shineth 
unto the parts that are under heaven, so shall the Son of 
man be in His day. But first He must suffer many things, 
and be rejected by this generation." 

By this very repudiation and crucifixion of the Messias, 
Israel had filled the measure of its iniquity, and become ripe 
for those terrors of God's judgment which were soon to fall 
upon the blood-stained heads of a deicide nation, in the de- 
struction of Jerusalem. This first judgment is a figure of 
the second or last general judgment. For whilst the Saviour 
speaks of one. He points plainly to the other. Both will be 
preceded by terrible signs and warnings, and yet men will 
be so wilfully blind that they will be surprised and overtaken 
in their sins. 

"And as it came to pass, in the days of Noe, so shall it be 
also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat and drink, 
they married wives and were given in marriage, until the 
day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and 
destroyed them all. Likewise as it came to pass in the days 
of Lot; they did eat and drink; they bought and sold; they 
planted and built; and in the day that Lot went out of 
Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and de- 
stroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the 
Son of man shall be revealed. In that hour he that shall be 
on the house-top, and his goods in the house, let him not go 
down to take them away : and he that shall be in the field, in 
like manner let him not return back. Remember Lot's wife. 
Whosoever shall seek to save his life, shall lose it; and who- 
soever shall lose it, shall preserve it. I say to you, in that 
night there shall be two men in one bed : the one shall be 
taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grind- 
ing together : the one shall be taken, and the other shall be 
left. Two men shall be in the field : the one shall be taken, 
and the other shall be left. They answering, say to Him : 
Where, Lord ? Who said to them : Wheresoever the body shall 
be, thither will the eagles also be gathered together." 

Gladly would the Jews have Imown when and where these 
threatened judgments would take place. The reply of Jesus 
is not indeed as clear and definite as the Jews would have 
wished, but still it is precise enough and very significant. 
The body is Jerusalem, or rather its inhabitants, who, in 
repudiating the Messias, have committed suicide. Its use in 
the history of man is no longer needed, and it becomes a mere 



222 THE TEN LEPERS 

carcass around which the Roman eaj^les, under the command 
of Titus, will gather. So the world on the last day will re- 
semble a corpse upon which Christ and His angels will sit in 
solemn inquest. 

3. Parable of the Unjust Judge. Efficacy of Prayer 

"And Jesus spoke also a parable to them, that we ought 
always to pray, and not to faint; saying: There was a certain 
judge in a certain city, who feared not God, nor regarded 
man. And there was a certain widow in that city, and she 
came to him, saying: Avenge me of my adversary. And he 
would not for a long time. But afterward he said within 
himself: Although I fear not God, nor regard man, yet be- 
cause this woman is troublesome to me, I will avenge her, lest 
continually coming she at last weary me. And the Lord said: 
Hear what the unjust judge saith. And will not God revenge 
His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He have 
patience in their regard? I say to you that He will quickly 
revenge them. But yet the Son of man, when He cometh, 
shall He find, think you, faith on earth?" 

4. Prayer of the Pharisee and the Publican, Humble 

Prayer 

"And to some who trusted in themselves as just, and de- 
spised others. He spoke also this parable : Two men went up 
into the temple to pray : the one a Pharisee, and the other a 
publican. The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself: 
God, I give Thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, 
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican : I 
fast twice in a week ; I give tithes of all that I possess. And 
the publican standing afar off, would not so much as lift up 
his eyes toward heaven : but struck his breast, saying : O God, 
be merciful to me a sinner. I say to you this man went do-wn 
into his house justified rather than the other, because every 
one that exalteth himself, shall be humbled: and he that 
humbleth himself, shall be exalted." 

5. Jesus Asserts His Oneness with the Father. The 

Jews Attempt to Stone Him 

"And it was the feast of the Dedication of the temple at 
Jerusalem; and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the 




M c t II p. M, i-t(iii <'"! ' '1^,1'' I H II i„'er Brothers 

St. Anthony Preaching to the Fishes 



THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST 223 

temple in Solomon's porch. The Jews therefore came round 
about Him, and said to Him: How long dost Thou hold our 
souls in suspense ? if Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus 
answered them: I speak to you, and you believe not: the 
works that I do in the name of My Father, they give testimony 
of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My 
sheep. My sheep hear My voice : and I know them, and they 
follow Me: and I give them life everlasting: and they shall 
not perish for ever, and no man shall pluck them out of My 
hand. That which My Father hath given Me, is greater than 
all : and no man can snatch them out of the hand of My 
Father. I and the Father are one. The Jews then took up 
stones, to stone Him. Jesus answered them : Many good works 
I have showed you from My Father, for which of those works 
do you stone Me? The Jews answered Him: For a good 
work we stone Thee not, but for blasphemy : and because that 
Thou being a man, makest Thyself God. Jesus answered 
them: Is it not written in your law: I said, you are gods? 
If he called them gods, to whom the word of God was spoken 
—and the Scripture can not be broken— do you say of Him, 
whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world. Thou 
blasphemest, because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do 
not the works of My Father, believe Me not. But if I do, 
though you will not believe Me, believe the works, that you 
may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in the 
Father. They sought therefore to take Him : and He escaped 
out of their hands. And He went again beyond the Jordan 
into that place where John was baptizing first : and there He 
abode. And many resorted to Him, and they said : John in- 
deed did no sign. But all things whatsoever John said of this 
man were true. And many believed in Him." 

Some try to stone Jesus, others worship Him, and both for 
the same reason — because He had proved Himself in the clear- 
est possible manner to be the Son of God. The old prophecy 
is fulfilled, for one and the same Christ came to be the resur- 
rection and the fall of many. The Pharisees found no fault 
when they themselves, mortals as they were, were, in a 
figurative sense, called gods, on account of being made to 
His image and of their exalted destiny. But when He, whose 
acts and words form a long-continued manifestation of 
divine wisdom and power, declares Himself to be truly and 
literally God, they pronounce the assertion a crime deserving 
death. 



CHAPTER XLIX 

JESUS THE CHILDREN'S FRIEND. CHRISTIAN DUTY 

AND CHRISTIAN PERFECTION. THE REWARD 

OF THE FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS OF 

CHRIST. THE PARABLE OF THE 

LABORERS IN THE VINEYARD 

Matt. xix. 13-20; Mark x. 13-31; Luke xviii. 15-30 

1. Jesus Blesses Children 

"Then were little children presented to Jesus, that He 
should impose hands upon them and pray. AVhieh when the 
disciples saw, they rebuked those that brought them. Whom, 
when Jesus saw. He was much displeased, and calling them 
together, said: Sutler the little children to come unto Me, and 
forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Amen 
I say to you : Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of 
(Jod as a child, shall not enter into it. And embracing them 
and laying His hands upon them. He blessed them," 

2. Christian Righteousness 

' ' And when He was gone forth into the way, a certain ruler 
running up and kneeling before Him, asked Him: Good 
Master, what shall I do that I may receive life everlasting? 
And Jesus said to him : Why asketh thou Me concerning good ? 
why callest thou Me good? None is good," that is, perfectly 
good, "but God alone. But if thou wilt enter into life, keep 
the commandments. And the ruler saith to Him: Which? 
And Jesus said : Thou knowest the commandments : Thou 
shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou 
shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness. Do no 
fraud. Honor thy father and thy mother, and Thou shalt 
love thy neighbor as thyself. But the young man answering, 
said to Him : Master, all these things I have observed from 
my youth, what yet is wanting to me ? " 

3. Christian Perfection and Voluntary Poverty 
"Which when Jesus had heard, looking on him, He loved 
him, and said to him : Yet one thing is wanting unto thee, if 
thou wilt be perfect, go, sell all whatever thou hast and give 
to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come 
follow me. And when the young man heard this word, being 
struck sad at this saying, went away sorrowful, for he had 
great possessions and was very rich. 

224 



CHRISTIAN DUTY AND PERFECTION 225 

"And Jesus seeing him become sorrowful, looking round 
about, saith to His disciples : Amen I say to you : How hardly 
shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God? 
And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus 
again answering, saith to them : Children, how hard it is for 
them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God? 
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, 
than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. And when 
the disciples had heard this, they wondered very much, say- 
ing : Who then can be saved ? And Jesus looking on them, 
saith : With man it is impossible, but not with God ; for with 
God all things are possible." 

Jesus adverts again and again to the excellence of Christian 
poverty and to the perils of riches. It is only "with God," 
that is, by a special grace, a grace absolutely essential to their 
condition, that those who are rich on earth can become rich 
in heaven. In what consists this special grace? In three 
things : first, that they consider their wealth, not as a per- 
sonal excellence of which they can be proud, but as alms from 
the hand of God; secondly, they should employ their riches 
in supplying their wants with the utmost moderation ; thirdly, 
they should act toward the poor and destitute with practical, 
useful, and untiring charity, and help to further the general 
welfare of mankind, by assisting education and sustaining 
God's church. 

4. The True Christian's Reward 

* ' Then Peter answering, said to Him : Behold, we have left 
all things and have followed Thee : what therefore shall we 
have? And Jesus said to them: Amen I say to you that you 
who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of 
man shall sit on the seat of His majesty, you also shall sit 
on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And 
every one that hath left home, or brethren, or sisters, or father, 
or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name 's sake 
and for the gospel, shall receive a hundredfold, now in this 
time; houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and 
children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to 
come life everlasting. And many that are first shall be last, 
and the last shall be first." 

Many spiritual writers discover in this promise of Christ 
a prophetic view of the conventual life. The religious who 
leaves home, family, and worldly goods, will find this promise 



226 JESUS RAISES LAZARUS TO LIFE 

verified Avithin his convent walls, but not without persecution 
on the part of the Avorld and the devil. 

5. The Laborers in the Vineyard 
* ' The kingdom of heaven is like to an householder who went 
out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. 
And having agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he 
sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third 
hour, he saw others standing in the market-place idle, and he 
said to them: Go you also into my vineyard, and I will give 
you what shall be just. And they went their way. And 
again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour : and did 
in like manner. But about the eleventh hour he went out and 
found others standing, and he saith to them: AVhy stand 
you here all the day idle ? They say to him : Because no man 
hath hired us. He saith to them: Go you also into my vine- 
yard. And when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard 
saith to his steward : Call the laborers and pay them their hire, 
beginning from the last even to the first. When therefore 
they were come that came about the eleventh hour, they re- 
ceived every man a penny. But when the first also came, they 
thought that they should receive more : and they also received 
every man a penny. And receiving it, they murmured against 
the master of the house, saying: These last have Avorked but 
one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, that have 
borne the burden of the day and the heats. But he answer- 
ing, said to one of them : Friend, I do thee no wrong : didst 
thou not agree with me for a penny? Take what is thine, and 
go thy way: I will also give to this last even as to thee. Or, 
is it not lawful for me to do what I will? is thy eye evil, be- 
cause I am good? So shall the last be first, and the first, last; 
for many are called, but few chosen," 



CHAPTER L 

JESUS RAISES LAZARUS TO LIFE. THE JEWS 
RESOLVE TO PUT CHRIST TO DEATH 

John xi. 1-56 

1. Lazarus is Sick and Dies 
Every miracle wrought by our blessed Lord had a twofold 
object : to prove His divinity and power, and to convert un- 
believers. 



JESUS RAISES LAZARUS TO LIFE 227 

"Now there was a certain man sick named Lazarus, of 
Bethania, of the town of Mary and of Martha her sister. 

(And Mary was she that anointed the Lord with ointment 
and wiped His feet with her hair : whose brother Lazarus was 
sick. ) His sister therefore sent to Him, saying : Lord, be- 
hold, he whom thou lovest, is sick. And Jesus hearing it, said 
to them: This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory 
of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it. Now Jesus 
loved Martha, and her sister Mai-y, and Lazarus. When He 
had heard therefore that he was sick he still remained in the 
same place two days. Then after that He said to His disciples : 
Let us go into Judea again. The disciples say to Him : Rabbi, 
the Jews but now sought to stone Thee, and goest Thou thither 
again ? Jesus answered : Are there not twelve hours of the 
day ? If a man walk in the day he stumbleth not, because he 
seeth the light of this world : but if he walk in the night, he 
stumbleth, because the light is not in him." 

This light is Christ. If you walk in it. Christian reader, 
you need not fear any hostile power. The Almighty has ap- 
pointed your day's work, and only when you have completed 
it, will the evening hour of rest arrive. 

"These things He said, and after that He said to them: 
Lazarus our friend sleepeth : but I go that I may awake him 
out of sleep. His disciples therefore said : Lord, if he sleep, 
he shall do well. But Jesus spoke of his death, and they 
thought that He spoke of the repose of sleep. Then there- 
fore Jesus said to them plainly : Lazarus is dead : And I am 
glad for your sakes, that I was not there, that you may be- 
lieve; but let us go to him. Thomas therefore, who is called 
Didymus, said to his fellow-disciples : Let us also go, that we 
may die Avith Him," that is, with Christ, in case the Jews 
should put Him to death. 

2. Jesus Visits Martha and Mary 

"Jesus therefore came: and found that he had been four 
days already in the grave. (Now Bethania was near Jerusa- 
lem about fifteen furlongs off.) And many of the Jews were 
come to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their 
brother. Martha therefore, as soon as she heard that Jesus 
was come, went to meet Him : but Mary sat at home. Martha 
therefore said to Jesus : Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my 
brother had not died : But now also I know that whatsoever 
Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee. Jesus saith to 



228 JESUS RAISES LAZARUS TO LIFE 

her: Thy brother shall rise again. ^Martha saith to Him: I 
know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last 
day. Jesns said to her: I am the resurrection and the life: 
he that believeth in ^le although he be dead, shall live: and 
every one that liveth. and believeth in ]\le, shall not die for 
ever. Believest thou this? She saith to Him: Yea, Lord, I 
have believed that Thou art Christ the Son of the living God, 
who art come into this world. And when she had said these 
things, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying: 
The Master is come and calleth for thee. She, as soon as she 
heard this, riseth quickly and cometh to Him : for Jesus 
was not yet come into the town : but He was still in that 
place where Martha had met Him. The Jews therefore who 
were with her in the house and comforted her, when 
they saw I\Iary that she rose up speedily and went out, fol- 
lowed her, saying: She goeth to the grave to weep there. 
When Mary therefore was come to where Jesus was, seeing 
Him, she fell down at His feet, and saith to Him: Lord, if 
Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. Jesus there- 
fore, when He saw her weeping, and the Jews that were come 
with her, weeping, groaned in the spirit and troubled Himself, 
and said: Where have you laid him? They say to Him: Lord, 
come and see. And Jesus wept. The Jews therefore said : 
Behold how He loved him. But some of them said : Could not 
He, that opened the eyes of the man born blind, have caused 
that this man should not die?" 

3. He Restores Lazarus to Life 

"Jesus therefore again groaning in Himself, cometh to the 
sepulchre ; now it was a cave : and a stone was laid over it. 
Jesus saith : Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of him 
that was dead, saith to Him : Lord, by this time he stinketh, 
for he is now of four days. Jesus saith to her: Did not I 
say to thee, that if thou believe, thou shalt see the glory of 
God? They took therefore the stone away; and Jesus lifting 
up His eyes, said : Father, I give Thee thanks that Thou hast 
heard Me; and I knew that Thou hearest Me always, but be- 
cause of the people who stand about have I said it : that they 
may believe that Thou hast sent Me. When He had said 
these things, He cried with a loud voice : Lazarus, come forth. 
And presently he that had been dead came forth, bound feet 
and hands with winding-bands, and his face was bound about 
with a napkin. Jesus said to them: Loose him and let him 



JESUS RAISES LAZARUS TO LIFE 229 

go. Many therefore of the Jews who were come to Mary and 
Martha, and had seen the things that Jesus did, believed in 
Him." 

In no other of His numerous miracles has Jesus so clearly 
proved and triumphantly established His divine mission and 
His unlimited power over that unyielding and positive master 
of men, death, as in the restoration to life of Lazarus who had 
not only died, but having been four days in the grave, must 
have been on the verge of decomposition. This was indeed 
one of the Saviour 's most glorious miracles, and an indubitable 
proof of the presence upon earth of the long-expected Re- 
deemer. It proved Him really to be the resurrection and the 
life, the Messias who had come to destroy the dominion of sin, 
the wages of death, and to seek and to save that which was 
lost. He performed this wonder only a short time before His 
own death, in order to strengthen the faith of His apostles 
and to convert the wavering. The chief-priests, however, were 
completely and incurably blinded by this dazzling miracle, 
for the high council, at the suggestion of the high-priest 
Caiphas, resolved soon after to put Jesus to death. 

4. The Jews Attempt to Kill Jesus. He Escapes 

"But some of them went to the Pharisees, and told them 
the things that Jesus had done. The chief-priests therefore 
and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said : What do we, 
for this man doth many miracles'/ If we let Him alone so, 
all will believe in Him : and the Romans will come and take 
away our place and nation. But one of them named Caiphas, 
being the high-priest that year, said to them : You know 
nothing, neither do you consider that it is expedient for you 
that one man should die for the people, and that the whole 
nation perish not. And this he spoke not of himself: but 
being the high-priest of that year, he prophesied that Jesus 
should die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but to 
gather together in one the children of God that were dispersed. 
From that day therefore they devised to put Him to death. 
Wherefore Jesus walked no more openly among the Jews, 
but He went into a country near the desert, unto a city that 
is called Ephrem, and there He abode with His disciples. And 
the Pasch of the Jews was at hand : and many from the coun- 
try went up to Jerusalem before the Pasch, to purify them- 
selves. They sought therefore for Jesus : and they discoursed 
one with another, standing in the temple: What think you, 



230 CHRIST FORETELLS HIS PASSION 

that He is not come to the festival day ? And the chief -priests 
and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that if any 
man knew where He was, he should tell, that they might 
apprehend Him." 



CHAPTER LI 



CHRIST FORETELLS HIS PASSION AND DEATH. 

THE UNREASONABLE DEMAND OF 

THE SONS OF ZEBEDEE 

Matt. XX. 17-28; Mark x. 32-46; Luke xviii. 31-34 

**And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem, and 
Jesus went before them, and they were astonished, and fol- 
lowing were afraid. And taking again the twelve disciples 
apart, He began to tell them the things that should befall 
Him, saying: Behold we go up to Jerusalem, and all things 
shall be accomplished which were written by the prophets 
concerning the Son of man. For He shall be betrayed to the 
chief-priests and to the scribes and ancients, and they shall 
condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gen- 
tiles. And they shall mock Him and spit on Him and scourge 
Him. And after they have scourged Him, they will put Him 
to death; and the third day He shall rise again. 

"And they understood none of these things, and this word 
was hid from them, and they understood not the things that 
were said." 

"Then came to Jesus the mother of the sons of Zebedee, 
with her sons James and John, adoring and asking something 
of Jesus, saying: Master, we desire that whatsoever we shall 
ask, Thou wouldst do it for us ? But He said to them : What 
would you I should do for you ? She saith to Him : Say that 
these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand and the 
other on Thy left in Thy kingdom. And Jesus answering, 
said : You know not what you ask. Can you drink the chalice 
that I shall drink ? or be baptized with the baptism wherewith 
I am baptized ? But they said to Him : We can. And Jesus 
saith to them: You shall indeed drink of the chalice that I 
drink of ; and with the baptism wherewith I am baptized, you 
shall be baptized. But to sit on My right hand or on My left, 
is not mine to give to you, but to them for whom it is prepared 
by My Father. 



THE HEALING OF THE BLIND MAN 231 

"And the ten hearing it, began to be much displeased at 
James and John. But Jesus calling them, saitli to them : You 
know that they who seem to rule over the Gentiles, lord it 
over them : and their princes have power over them. But it 
is not so among you, but whosoever will be greater, shall be 
your minister : and whosoever will be first among you, shall 
be the servant of all. For the Son of man also is not come to 
be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a 
redemption for many. And they come to Jericho." 



CHAPTER LII 



THE HEALING OF THE BLIND MAN NEAR JERICHO. 
ZACCHEUS THE PUBLICAN. THE PAR- 
ABLE OF THE TEN TALENTS 

Matt. XX. 29-34; Mark x. 46-52; Luke xviii. 35; xix. 18 

1. Christ Cures a Blind Man Near Jericho 

"Now it came to pass, when He drew nigh to Jericho, that 
a certain blind man sat by the way side begging. And when 
he heard the multitude passing by, he asked what this meant. 
And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 
And he cried ont, saying : Jesus, son of David, have mercy on 
me. And they that went before, rebuked him, that he should 
hold his peace. But he cried out much more : Son of David, 
have mercy on me. And Jesus standing commanded him to 
be brought unto Him. And when he was come near, he asked 
him, saying : What wilt thou that I do to thee 1 But he said : 
Lord, that I may see. And Jesus said to him : Receive thy 
sight, thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he 
saw, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people 
when they saw it, gave praise to God," 

2. Zaccheus the Publican 

' ' And entering in. He walked through Jericho. And behold 
there was a man named Zaccheus, who was the chief of the 
publicans ; and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who 
he was; and he could not for the crowd, because he was low 
of stature. And running before, he climbed up into a syca- 
more tree that he might see Him : for He was to pass that way. 



232 THE HEALING OF THE BLIND MAN 

And when Jesus was come to the place, looking up, He saw 
him, and said to him : Zaceheus, make haste and come down : 
for this day I must abide in thy house. And he made haste 
and came down, and received Him with joy. And when all saw 
it, they murmured, saying that He was gone to be a guest with 
a man that was a sinner. But Zaceheus standing, said to the 
Lord : Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor : 
and if I have wronged any man of any thing, I restore him 
fourfold. Jesus said to him : This day is salvation come to this 
house : because he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of 
man is come to seek and to save that which Avas lost." 

3. The Parables of the Ten Servants 

"As they were hearing these things. He added and spoke a 
parable, because He was nigh to Jerusalem : and because they 
thought that the kingdom of God should immediately be mani- 
fested. He said therefore : A certain nobleman went into a 
far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 
And calling his ten servants, he gave them ten pounds, and 
said to them : Trade till I come. But his citizens hated him : 
and they sent an embassage after him, saying: We will not 
have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass that 
he returned, having received the kingdom : and he commanded 
his servants to be called, to whom he had given the money, 
that he might know how much every man had gained by trad- 
ing. And the first came, saying : Lord, thy pound hath gained 
ten pounds. And he said to him : Well done, thou good ser- 
vant; because thou hast been faithful in a little, thou shalt 
have power over ten cities. And the second came, saying: 
Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said to 
him : Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying : 
Lord, behold here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in 
a napkin : for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man ; 
thou takest up what thou didst not lay down, and thou reapest 
that which thou didst not sow. He saith to him : Out of thy 
own mouth I judge thee, thou wicked servant; thou knewest 
that I was an austere man, taking up what I laid not down, 
and reaping that which I did not sow: and why then didst 
thou not give my money into the bank, that at my coming I 
might have exacted it with usury ? And he said to them that 
stood by : Take the pound away from him, and give it to him 
that hath the ten pounds. And they said to him: Lord, he 
hath ten pounds. But I say to you, that to every one that 



NEAR JERICHO 233 

hath shall be given and he shall abound : and from him that 
hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken from him. 
But as for those my enemies who would not have me reign 
over them, bring them hither : and kill them before me. And 
having said these things, he went before going up to Je- 
rusalem. ' ' 

Who is this nobleman of the parable? None other than 
Jesus Christ Himself, who, after His death and resurrection, 
ascended into heaven, that distant land, to take possession of 
His throne of glory at the right hand of His Father, whence 
He will return on the last day. The servants are His apostles 
and disciples, who are to use to the best advantage, and with 
the greatest possible profit, the talents of grace and of truth 
in saving their own and their fellow-creatures' souls. The 
rebellious citizens are all wicked men who refuse to believe 
and obey Christ, but more especially the Jews. For did not 
the Jews, when Pilate presented Jesus to them as their king 
of the family of David, cry out : ' ' We have no king but CaBsar ! 
Away with this man ! We will not have Him to rule over us ! 
Crucify Him ! ' ' By adopting this course of action, they ren- 
dered themselves amenable to the terrible judgment of the 
Conqueror. For, as the nobleman in the parable returned, so 
too will Christ come again and demand an account from the 
good, bad, slothful, and rebellious. This examination takes 
place at every individual's death, but it will be held solemnly 
before the assembled world on the last day. The good will 
receive rich rewards, but from the slothful will be taken the 
graces once bestowed upon them. For he who squanders divine 
grace loses it completely and falls into stubborn blindness, 
whilst he who co-operates faithfully receives grace upon grace 
in more bountiful and overflowing measure. 

4. Christ, on Leaving Jerusalem, Cures Two Blind Men 
"And as Jesus went out of Jericho with His disciples and 
a very great multitude, Bar-timeus, the blind man, the son of 
Timeus, sat by the way side begging.^ Who, when he had 
heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, began to cry out, and 
to say : Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. And many 
rebuked him, that he might hold his peace. But he cried a 
great deal the more : Son of David, have mercy on me. And 
Jesus standing still, commanded him to be called. And they 
call the blind man, saying to him : Be of better comfort : arise, 
^St. Matthew says there were two blind men. 



234 JESUS IN THE HOUSE OF 

He calleth thee. AVho easting ott' his garment, leaped up, and 
came to Him. And Jesus answering, said to him : What wilt 
thou that I should do to thee? And the blind man said to 
Him: Rabboni. that I may see. And Jesus saith to him: Go 
thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately 
he saw, and followed Him in the way." 

To see and to follow Christ ! we must do both in our spiritual 
life. It is certainly a great misfortune to be blind in spirit; 
that is, not to know the saving truths at all, like the heathens, 
or only imperfectly, and disfigured and clouded by error, as 
was the case with most of the Jews of that time. But far more 
deplorable than the spiritual blindness of the Jews and 
pagans, is the unhappy lot of that Christian who, by God's 
grace, having been made to see. that is, after having been well 
instructed in all the truths of his religion, still, out of sloth 
and self-indulgence, does not follow Christ — does not live up 
to his faith. While his understanding is enlightened by the 
rays of holy knowledge, his heart is darkened by a night of 
sin. And this dismal night of sin in the heart gradually and 
slowly, but surely, sends its dark death-shadows into the sin- 
ner's understanding. His religious convictions grow faint 
and dim, darkness ensues, and finally, the last faint rays of 
Christian truth disappear ; as charity dies, hope and faith take 
flight. 



CHAPTER LIII 



JESUS IN THE HOUSE OF SIMON THE LEPER. MARY 
MAGDALEN ANOINTS HIS FEET 

Matt. xxvi. 6-1.3; Mark xiv. 3-9; John xii. 1-11 

"Jesus therefore, six days before the pasch, came to 
Bethania, where Lazarus had been dead whom Jesus raised to 
life. And they made Him a supper there in the house of 
Simon the leper ; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of 
them that were at table with Him. 

"And when He was at meat there came to Him a woman, 
Mary, having an alabaster box, with a pound of precious 
ointment of right spikenard : and breaking the alabaster box, 
she poured it out upon His head as He was at table. And she 
anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair : 
and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. 



SIMON THE LEPER 235 

"And the disciples seeing it, had indignation within them- 
selves, saying," prompted by Judas: "Why was this waste of 
the ointment made ? And they murmured against her. Then 
one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, he that was about to be- 
tray Him, said : Why was not this ointment sold for 300 pence 
and given to the poor ? Now he said this, not because he cared 
for the poor, but because he was a thief ; and having the purse, 
carried the things that were put therein." 

"Wherefore this waste?" Malicious question of the traitor! 
It is a waste for a repentant, faithful, self-sacrificing soul to 
give honor to the Son of the living God, to the King of glory, 
to the Good Shepherd about to laj^ down His life for His flock ! 
Like a mere mercenary he calculates the expense, and lest men 
should discover his true feelings, he hypocritically pretends 
to deplore the loss to the poor. 

"And Jesus knowing it, said to them: Why do you trouble 
this woman ? Let her alone, for she hath wrought a good work 
upon Me. For the poor you have always with you, and when- 
soever you will, you may do them good ; but Me you have not 
always. What she had, she hath done, for she, in pouring 
this ointment upon My body, is come beforehand to anoint 
My body for the burial. Amen, I say to you, wheresoever this 
gospel shall be preached in the v/hole world, that also which 
she hath done shall be told for a memorial of her. 

"A great multitude therefore of the Jews knew that He 
was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that 
they might see Lazarus whom He had raised from the dead. 
But the chief-priests thought to kill Lazarus also, because 
many of the Jews by reason of him went away and believed 
in Jesus. ' ' 



PART V 

The Passimi Week of Our Lord Jesus Chnst 

CHAPTER I 

CREATION AYEEK. PASSION WEEK. HOLY WEEK. 
THE SUFFERINGS OF JESUS CHRIST IN GEN- 
ERAL. THE EVENTS OF EACH DAY DUR- 
ING THE WEEK OF HIS SUFFERING 

1. Creation Week and Passion Week 

A LONG time had elapsed since Creation Week, that week of 
divine omnipotence, during which the ]\Iost High had called 
into existence the world with all its beauty, and enthroned 
man upon it as the king of all creation. Alas! Adam, by 
sinning, had, as far as in him lay, laid waste and undone 
God's work of Creation Week, and his descendants had fol- 
lowed the unhappy example of their forefather. But God at 
last was moved to pity, and then dawned the first day of the 
week of grace, the suffering week of Christ, during which, 
by the death of the God-man, creation was renewed, and man 
restored to his original dignity and forfeited claims. As man 
had been created on the sixth day of Creation Week, so on 
the sixth day of Atonement Week was He created anew in 
Christ, and born again into eternal life. 

2. Significance of Holy Week 

The solemn commemoration of this sacred and mysterious 
week takes place every year at the close of Lent, during the 
days composing our Holy Week. The Greeks and Latins 
anciently called it the Great Week, sometimes the Painful 
Week or the Week of Austerities, also the Week of Sorrows, 
and the Days of the Cross or of Sufferings. In England and 
Ireland, before the so-called Reformation, it was generally 
knoAvn as Passion AVeek, although now that name is usually 
given to the week which follows Passion Sunday. 

"We call it the Great Week," says St. Chrysostom, "not 

236 



HOLY WEEK 237 

because it consists of a greater number of days, nor that the 
days are longer, but on account of the great things which 
God hath wrought in it. For on these days was the tyranny 
of the devil overthrown, death disarmed, sin and its curse 
taken away, heaven opened and made accessible, and men 
made fellows with angels. ' ' 

The exterior solemnity with which the Church has ever 
observed this holy time, puts Christians in mind of their obli- 
gation of redoubling their fervor in all the holy exercises of 
Lent, and in all works of piety and religion. No man can de- 
serve to bear the name of a Christian who is so slothful as 
to fail in this duty. By closing well the holy time of Lent, 
we shall reap abundant fruits of our penance, and of the 
sacred mysteries which we here commemorate. All who call 
themselves children of the Church strive to outdo themselves 
and each other on this great solemnity, as St. Bernard ob- 
serves. The sentence which was passed in the old law against 
those who should neglect to sanctify the yearly great fast of 
the expiation, will be executed in a much more dreadful man- 
ner upon those pretended Christians who let pass the com- 
memoration of these most tender and adorable mysteries, with- 
out being touched with a due sense of compunction, gratitude, 
love, and piety. 

All the exercises of Lent must be now continued with re- 
doubled fervor, to which we must excite ourselves by the most 
devout meditation on the Cross and Passion of our divine 
Eedeemer, This must be the great and only object of our 
thoughts and devout entertainments at this time. The divine 
Jesus suffering, Jesus nailed to a cross, Jesus dying for our 
sins, must always be present to our minds; our hearts must 
be continually occupied on Him. In His presence and at the 
foot of His cross, we must perform all our religious and peni- 
tential exercises, by which we study to die to ourselves, that, 
dying with Him, we may rise with Him conformed in our 
interior to His holy image. 

3. Catholic Observance of Holy Week 

From the earliest days of antiquity during Holy Week, all 
strains of joyful chants and all sounds of musical instruments 
were hushed in public worship. All ornaments, expressions 
of gladness, were removed from the churches, and even the 
outer world maintained a solemn stillness. The churches were 
more frequently and numerously attended. All Christian 



238 CREATION WEEK. PASSION AVEEK 

antiquity solemnized this Holy Week in pious mourning, in 
works of penance and of charity, as all true and faithful 
Christians do, even in our own degenerate day. 

One of the most cherished devotions peculiar to this week 
is the Tenebrje, which is chanted solemnly on the evenings of 
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The service consists of 
those psalms which have a bearing on the great mystery of 
the atonement or a reference to the sufferings and death of 
our divine Saviour Jesus Christ, together with selections from 
the fathers of the Church and from Scripture, especially from 
the Lamentations of Jeremias the prophet. During the recita- 
tion of this office, we see a very peculiar and unusual object 
in the sanctuary, namely, a triangular candlestick having 
fifteen burning tapers of wax, all of a dark yellow color, save 
the one on the point of the triangle, which is of pure white 
wax. One of these candles is extinguished at the end of each 
psalm, the only one left burning being the white taper stand- 
ing on the apex of the triangle. During the chanting of the 
Benedictus, this burning candle is removed, and kept con- 
cealed behind the altar, and at the close of the canticle it is 
brought forth again still lighted, and is replaced before the 
altar. The gradual extinction of the fourteen candles sym- 
bolizes the treason of Judas, the denial of Peter, and the 
flight of the other apostles on the arrest of their divine Master. 
The darkness that ensues toward the end of the ceremony, 
and especially while the only burning taper is concealed from 
sight, reminds us of the physical darkness that came upon the 
earth at the hour of Christ's death, as well as the spiritual 
gloom in which the Jewish people were enveloped. The white 
Avax candle represents Christ, who stood firm when all His 
disciples had fled, and who, when His enemies fondly hoped 
that they had put Him out of the way forever, came forth in 
renewed life and light before the whole world. 

At the close of the Tenebrae, a weird and solemn noise is 
made by means of a wooden clapper, to represent the wild 
and wrangling shouts of the populace, the clamor of the 
soldiers, and the mockeries which the Jews spewed out against 
the crucified Saviour. These same dismal and dreary sounds 
take the place of the cheerful tinkling of the bells, during all 
the religious services from the Gloria on Holy Thursday to 
the Gloria on Holy Saturday. The silent bells remind us of 
the apostles, who were afraid to speak during the time of 
Jesus' suffering, but who, after His triumphant resurrection 



HOLY WEEK 239 

and ascension into heaven, filled the whole world with the 
stirring tones of their powerful eloquence. The voiceless 
organ reminds us of the drowsy disciples who fell asleep in 
the garden of Olives. 

Before entering on the consideration of the separate sublime 
mysteries of Holy Week in particular, we have to dwell on 
five points: first, the whole history of Christ's Passion in gen- 
eral ; secondly, the deep anguish that our blessed Saviour must 
have felt in these sufferings; thirdly, the great utility of 
frequent meditation on the history of the Passion; fourthly, 
the devotion of the Way of the Cross ; and fifthly, the chrono- 
logical order of the various events on the different days of 
Holy Week. 

4. The Extent in General of Our Lord's Sufferings 

We begin with the extent of Christ's sufferings in general. 
Here we must remember, that as Christ had come to atone for 
men of all conditions, and to offer satisfaction for all and 
every species of sin. He wished to suffer all and every kind of 
ignominy at the hands of people of every kind, condition, and 
even sex. 

Hence He suffered at the hands of Jews and of Gentiles, of 
men and women — for it was a woman that led to the defection 
of St. Peter — of grown people and of children, of priests and 
of laity, of friends— who all deserted Him — and of enemies, 
of princes and of common people, of unbelievers, and even of 
believers — for these last left Him and remained in cowardly 
concealment during the hours of His humiliation. 

Moreover, as man had abused and prostituted to the service 
of sin, all the goods given him by the Lord his God, our dear 
Eedeemer wished to suffer in all and every good. His body 
became one dreadful wound from head to foot. His soul was 
sorrowful even unto death. His only substance— His clothing 
— was wrested from Him, the bonds of friendship were rent 
asunder. His honor and His good name were tarnished, and 
at last His very life was taken. 

Moreover, as man had emploj^ed all his members and senses 
of the body as instruments of sin, our divine Saviour chose to 
suff'er pain in all His members and in every sense. His head 
was pierced with the sharp thorns of His crown of mockery, 
His fair sweet face was spit upon and struck. His hands and 
feet were lacerated with nails. His side was torn open with a 
lance, and His whole body was flayed with the lashes of the 



240 CREATION WEEK. PASSION WEEK 

scourge. He wished, too, to suffer in each one of His five 
senses : in feeling, by the cruel scourging, blows, and other 
woundings; in taste, by His parching thirst and the draught 
of vinegar and gall ; in smell, by the offensive odors of Gol- 
gatha ; in hearing, by the false accusations and cruel words 
of raockeiy ; in sight, by the painful twofold spectacle of the 
furious mob and of the deeply afflicted friends and relatives 
who stood under His cross. 

Finally, we ought to study and consider carefully the length 
of time that our blessed Lord had to bear these dreadful 
afflictions. For many persons deceive themselves on this 
point, and some there are who presume to compare their own 
petty grievances with the fearful sufferings of the Redeemer, 
and even venture to say : ' ' Indeed, Christ did suffer beyond 
all expression, both in soul and body and in every one of His 
senses and faculties ; but then His sufferings lasted only a few 
hours, whilst j\ly misery and afflictions have endured for 
years." A gross delusion ! for the sufferings of Christ affected 
every hour, every moment of His life upon earth. From the 
moment of His conception, He foresaw by virtue of His divine 
omniscience or foreknowledge, every lash of the scourges, 
every thorn in His crown, every blow of the enemy's hand, 
all the mockeries, the cross itself, and even the agony of death, 
all plainly pictured before His vision. On the other hand, 
by virtue of His true and real humanitj^ He felt from that 
same moment of His conception, on through every hour of 
His life, all His future sufferings; and with such painful 
vividness that, as spiritual writers tell us. His whole life was 
one perpetual death-agony. Our Lord Himself asserts this 
dreadful truth, when He exclaims through the mouth of the 
Psalmist: "I\Iy sorrow is continually before Me. My life is 
wasted with grief and My years in sighs. I am poor and 
ready to die from My youth, and the fear of death is fallen 
upon Me. ' ' And when our Saviour testifies through the same 
royal Psalmist : ' ' All the day long My enemies reproach Me : 
and they that praised Me did swear against Me," He means 
no other day than the day of His whole human life. Hence 
we may well infer, and with undoubted certainty believe, that 
our Lord suft'ered in His soul, by anticipation, during the 
three-and-thirty years of His life, the whole anguish of His 
passion and death. A victim destined to sacrifice, He foresaw 
from the first moment of His life the dread hour of sacrifice 
with all its accompanying tortures. 



HOLY WEEK 241 

5. The Deep Anguish Which He Experienced in These 

Sufferings 

Four special causes may be given for the inexpressible 
anguish which our Saviour must have felt in His passion and 
death, namely, the supreme and excellent perfection of His 
person, the perfect sinlessness of His whole nature, the sym- 
pathy of His Virgin-Mother, and lastly, the ardent love of 
His soul toward sinners. 

When any ordinary man — one who, from his youth up, has 
lived in poverty and obscurity— finds himself betrayed, dis- 
graced, calumniated, and unjustly cast into prison, he feels 
the indignity very keenly. But as the difference between his 
present condition in jail and his former habits and circum- 
stances of life is not so immeasurably great, his misfortune 
is not altogether insufferable. But when some mighty king 
or haughty emperor, whose whole life hitherto has resembled 
one triumphal march, and before whom the nations and the 
great ones in life have bowed down to the dust, when such a 
proud monarch is hurled from his throne and reduced to pov- 
erty, neglect, and imprisonment, we can hardly conceive the 
depths of his mental anguish. dearest Jesus ! what is the 
mightiest of earthly potentates compared to Thee? Thou art 
King of kings, the only begotten Son of God, worshipped from 
all eternity by the hosts of heaven. AA^'ho can conceive what 
Thy body and sacred person must have felt when Thou 
sawest Thyself abandoned and trodden under-foot like a very 
worm of the earth ! 

In consequence of sin, pain and misery became our lot. 
Through the long line of generation after generation, both our 
spiritual and bodily natures became, as it were, schooled to 
suffering, and our sensitiveness for pain became dulled and 
languid. Sin, by rendering human nature sluggish and torpid, 
as it were prepared it to bear pain and anguish with less acute- 
ness of feeling. But oh, how different from ours was the 
divine and sinless personality of Jesus Christ! Dearest Re- 
deemer, how Thy whole nature must have shrunk from con- 
tact with the dreadful consequences of sin, that is, from suffer- 
ing of soul and body ! How it must have recoiled from the 
unspeakable violence and abuse with which Thy enemies tor- 
tured Thy tender and virginal flesh ! How it must have 
shuddered at the mental anguish into which both friend and 
enemy did plunge Thy heart and soul ! 

And alas ! too, not only in His own person did our beloved 



242 CREATION WEEK. PASSION WEEK 

Lord and Saviour suffer, but also in the person of His dearly 
beloved Virgin-Mother Mary. The sword of grief which 
pierced the maternal heart in these hours of agony, had 
sunken its sharpest point deep into the heart of the Son. The 
fond and faithful mother sympathized with the sufferings of 
her Son, and this very sympathy of hers rendered the pains 
of her Son the more acute. Every sympathetic sigh that es- 
caped from the lips of the sorrowing mother, as she stood 
beneath the cross, caused the tender heart of the crucified Son 
to throb with new and unspeakable thrills of agony, whilst 
every compassionate look of hers augmented the anguish of 
her expiring Son. 

But what heightened and augmented beyond all conception 
the mental agony of our dying Redeemer, was the terrible 
vision that rose before His eyes of thousands, yea, millions, of 
sinners who Avould refuse, or at least fail, to profit by the 
atoning death of their Saviour ; and who, notwithstanding His 
fearfully perfect sacrifice, would die unredeemed and fall vic- 
tims to the never-ending chastisements of God's justice. Oh, 
the tender love and all-embracing mercy of our suffering Lord 
for sinners ! For their sake He came down from heaven. In 
the tenderest and most winning terms, He called, invited, and 
exhorted them to their salvation. For them, too, He now hangs 
dying upon the cross; while, in His spiritual vision, He sees, 
by virtue of His divine foreknowledge, the countless sinners 
of all future ages who Avill prefer to know nothing of Him 
nor of His unbounded love. While in His very death-throes. 
He, in spirit, hears and sees them as they call out to Him : 
"Thou mayest die for us, but we will not obtain eternal life 
by Thy death. It is useless for Thee to stretch out Thy bleed- 
ing arms toward us ; Thy great love does not move us, nor does 
Thy dying look of affection penetrate our souls." Here we 
discover the chief source of our dear Redeemer's bitterest 
anguish in the very struggles of death, 

6. The Advantage of Frequent Meditation on the Passion 

And yourself! Are you perhaps to be counted in with 
these obdurate sinners ? Alas ! this is a dismal question. But 
the safest evidence, the most incontestable proof of your com- 
plete ability to confidently give a negative reply to this ques- 
tion, must consist in your having an ardent zeal and a devout 
yearning for the frequent study and consideration of the 
history of our blessed Lord and Saviour's sufferings and 



HOLY WEEK 243 

death, and a sincere wish to apply them profitably to your 
soul. 

"The cross," says St. Augustine, "was not only the death- 
bed of Christ; it was His pulpit." Come therefore and sit 
down, like a docile pupil of your great Master, at the foot of 
the cross. Raise your eyes to your dying Redeemer. Here 
you may learn the depths of human misery, and draw from 
such knowledge readiness and strength, even a willingness to 
suffer. Here you may see the riches of di'^'ine mercy, and 
thus become inflamed with sentiments of holy gratitude to- 
ward Him who loved you unreservedly. Here you will learn 
the value of suffering, and rejoice to suffer with Him who has 
suffered so much for you. Here you vnll discern the rigor 
of divine justice and the enormous malice of sin. which re- 
quired so sanguinary an atonement from innocence himself. 
Here you will learn to tremble for your sins with a salutary 
fear and acquire a wholesome dread of heaven's chastise- 
ments. Here you will discover the loving compassion of your 
Saviour, and be so overwhelmed at this discovery, that you will 
rush with laudable impetuosity into the arms of your cruci- 
fied Jesus. Here will the just man be edified and confirmed 
in all goodness. Here will the sinner be moved to sorrow, and 
impelled to acts of repentance. Here will the troubled mind 
be comforted, the doubting mind be convinced, while sloth 
in God's service will be changed into a spirited and lively zeal. 

Do you now understand why our Christian forefathers were 
so careful to place the crucifix, that glorious memorial of the 
sufferings and death of Christ, along the highways and in the 
public squares, on their churches, and even sometimes on their 
dwelling-houses ? Do you now understand, too. how it is that 
the most learned men of past ages always declared that they 
learned more wdsdom at the foot of the crucifix than in the 
closest study of the ablest authors? Do you understand how 
it is, tnat often in the simplest persons who have known no 
other school than that of the crucifix, you meet with a clearer 
perception and a more thorough appreciation of the profound- 
est and most important mj^steries of religion, than you will 
find with one who has spent years in the schools? 

7. History and IMeaning of the Wat of the Cross 

Do you now understand why our holy Church in very early 
times established "The Way of the Cross," or the devotion 



244 CREATION WEEK. PASSION WEEK 

of the stations? why she recommended this devotion to her 
children and enriched it with such ample indulgences, that it 
soon became a cherished devotion among Catholic com- 
munities, and hardly a church or chapel could be found 
in which the fourteen stations of our Saviour's passion were 
not set up for the edification and spiritual improvement of 
the people? 

In very early times, a desire grew up among the believers 
in Christ to visit and to venerate in sorrow and gratitude those 
memorable places in Morning-Iiand which the Redeemer had 
made sacred by His sufferings, had moistened with His blood, 
and sanctified by His cruel and ignominious death. As tra- 
dition informs us, the holy apostles, with the Mother of Sor- 
rows, as well as the disciples and the iirst Christians generally, 
often went over the road leading from Pilate's house to Cal- 
vary, in order to keep fresh in their memories the sufferings 
of their beloved Lord and Master, and to keep alive and to 
nourish in their hearts sentiments of sympathy and of grati- 
tude. On these pilgrimages, they would stop at those points 
which had been made memorable by the most prominent events 
of the passion ; such as the meeting of Jesus with the weeping 
women, His repeated falls under the cross, and others. Here 
they would throw themselves on their knees and kiss the very 
earth with fervor and reverence. 

After the discovery, by the devout Empress Helena, of the 
true cross on which our Saviour had died, these pilgrimages 
became very frequent. During a period of more than 500 
years, immense crowds of pilgrims were in the habit of going 
from all parts of Christendom to Jerusalem. We can well 
understand how, by these pilgrimages, as well as by the pious 
pilgrims themselves, and also by all those who heard their 
accounts on their return from the Holy Land, love for our 
crucified Lord and gratitude for His precious sufferings and 
death must have been augmented, and the remembrance of 
the various circumstances of this holy tragedy been kept alive 
throughout all Christendom. Hence the Church granted 
abundant indulgences to these pilgrims; such, for example, as 
an indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines for visit- 
ing the sacred spot where the Blessed Virgin met our Lord 
carrying His cross : a similar indulgence for a prayer said on 
the spot where Simon the Cyrenean was compelled to relieve 
the fainting Saviour of His cross; and again for the venera- 
tion of the place where Christ was despoiled of His garments ; 



HOLY WEEK 245 

while plenary indulgences were granted for a visit to the site 
of the crucifixion, to the site of the holy sepulcher, and other 
prominent places. 

When, however, the Holy Land had fallen under the sway 
of the infidels, and pilgrimages to the holy places became 
difficult, dangerous, and finally impossible, certain pious men, 
especially the Franciscans, conceived the idea of substituting 
for these actual pilgrimages a certain devotion, by the practice 
of which these holy places could be visited in spirit, and the 
salutary fruits and advantages of a pilgrimage to a distant 
land could be obtained at home. They therefore selected four- 
teen incidents of the passion-history, had them represented in 
painting or sculpture, and set up these representations in 
churches and chapels, or sometimes on the side of a road lead- 
ing up to some oratory situated on the summit of a hill. 
Before each one of these fourteen stations, the faithful people 
performed their devotions in meditation, compassion, and 
prayer, as if really standing or kneeling on the sacred spots 
on which the events depicted in the representation had taken 
place centuries before. The Popes extended to all those who 
made this Way of the Cross, stopping at each station to medi- 
tate on the passion and to pray, all those indulgences which 
were formerly granted to pilgrims visiting the Holy Land 
itself. 

8. Summary of the Events of Holy Week 

Before closing this chapter and proceeding to the considera- 
tion of the particular events of Holy Week, it may be useful 
to mention these events briefly and in general terms, and to 
state the different days on which they occurred. 

On the morning of Palm Sunday,^ Jesus having left Beth- 
ania, where He had passed the Sabbath, and together with 
Lazarus had dined in the house of Simon the leper, came to 
Bethphage, whence He proceeded to Jerusalem, amid hosannas 
and shouts of welcome from the multitude. Entering the city, 
He wept as He announced its coming destruction, and without 
delay went up to the temple, where He healed several lame 
and blind persons. Some Gentiles who had come in to the 
Passover celebration, expressed to Philip their desire to see 

iThat is, on the tenth of April; for, according to the opinion of 
learned men, Christ died on the fifteenth of April. Of course, there may- 
be some uncertainty about this date, and we must respect another well- 
founded opinion that He died on the twenty-fifth of March. 



246 CREATION WEEK. PASSION WEEK 

Jesus. Just then He was gloritied in a very special manner 
in the temple by a miraculous voice from heaven, as had 
happened on the banks of the Jordan three years before, at 
the beginning of His public ministry. After ha\nng availed 
Himself of this extraordinary occurrence to endeavor to 
awaken sentiments of faith in the hearts of the Jews, He left 
the holy city toward evening and went with His twelve 
apostles to pass the night at Bethania. 

On Monday morning He again returned with the twelve to 
Jerusalem, and on His way He cursed the barren fig-tree. 
Entering the temple, He drove out the money-changers, as He 
had done on the first Passover in His public life; and after 
spending the whole day teaching in the temple, again repaired 
toward evening to Bethania. 

On their way back to Jerusalem on Tuesday morning, the 
disciples were astonished to find the fig-tree which Jesus had 
cursed the day before, now all withered and dead. The divine 
Master seized upon this incident to demonstrate to them the 
efficacy of prayer. The scribes asked Him for His authority, 
and He silenced them by inciuiring if they knew whence Jt»hn 
the Baptist derived his authority. He then condemned their 
unbelief by proposing the parables of the two sons sent by 
their father into the vineyard, of the vineyard and the ruth- 
less tenants, of the supper and the guests who did not 
respond to the invitation. The scribes, Avho had become very 
angry, then tried to bring Him into trouble by asking whether 
it were lawful to pay tribute to Caesar. But Jesus put them 
to shame by His careful and prudent reply. He then dis- 
coursed with the Sadducees on the subject of the resurrection 
and on the life beyond the grave ; and with the Pharisees con- 
cerning the greatest commandment of the law; and on the 
two natures in Christ, as Son of God and Son of David. Then 
followed the severe condemnation of the actions and omissions 
of the Pharisees, and another declaration of the destruction 
of Jerusalem. On His way out of the temple, Jesus saw the 
widow placing her mite in the contribution-box, and com- 
mended her good will and real generosity. He then foretold 
to His disciples the complete destruction of the temple. 

Jesus then proceeded at once, with His apostles, to Mount 
Olivet, where, turning about toward the city and directing 
His gaze upon the temple and other buildings opposite. He 
described to His disciples the signs and forebodings of the 
destruction of the city, its coming distresses, tribulations, and 



HOLY WEEK 247 

final overthrow. He also predicted the end of the world. As 
a warning to vigilance and to proper preparations for the dire 
event, He proposed the parables of the wise and of the im- 
provident virgins, of the faithful and the unfaithful servants ; 
all said with the view of preparing His followers to merit the 
comforting words of the eternal Judge, "Come ye blessed of 
My Father," and to escape the dreadful sentence intended 
for the wicked, "Depart from Me, ye cursed." 

On Wednesday, Jesus announced to His disciples that He 
would now be crucified in a couple of days; and also, as tra- 
dition affirms, took occasion to reveal to His blessed Mother 
His impending sufferings and death. On this day, too, the 
Jews decided in solemn council to take Jesus, if possible, 
before the festival of the Passover ; and Judas offered to de- 
liver up his Master within the specified time, for thirty pieces 
of silver. 

On the morning of Holy Thursday, Jesus gave orders to the 
holy apostles Peter and John to make the necessary prepara- 
tions for the solemn celebration of the Pasch or last supper, 
which He observed that same evening by eating the paschal 
lamb with His apostles. After the supper. He washed the 
disciples' feet and instituted the Blessed Sacrament, and 
alluded to the treason of Judas, who then rose up and hurried 
away. Jesus then began His farewell discourse to His apos- 
tles, which He continued till they had reached Gethsemane, 
and finally concluded with His glorious intercessory prayer as 
high-priest. 

In the garden of Olives, Jesus prayed and fell into an agony, 
in anticipation of the horrors of His death on the cross. Judas 
then appeared on the scene at the head of a large crowd, and 
betrayed his Master with a kiss, who was then taken prisoner 
by the servants of the high-priest, and although it was quite 
late, was led away, bound with cords, to Annas, and thence to 
his son-in-law, Caiphas, the high-priest. The crowd dispersed 
about midnight and Jesus was left in charge of rude soldiers 
in the outer court. Meanwhile Peter had cut off the servant 's 
ear and been reproved by Jesus, had three times denied his 
Master, and again bewailed his weakness with many tears of 
sorrow and remorse. 

Friday morning was ushered in with another meeting of 
the high-council, who adjudged our Lord as deserving death 
and sent Him to Pilate the governor, to have their sentence 
confirmed, and pronounced, and carried into execution. When 



248 CREATION WEEK. PASSION WEEK 

Judas saw the leng:th to which the whole affair was com- 
ing, he was seized with remorse and despair and hanged 
himself. 

Being brought before Pilate, Jesus was accused of being a 
disturber and seducer of the people, and was examined on 
these charges by the governor, who, in turn, sent Him to 
Herod. This officer, who happened to be in Jerusalem just 
then, only mocked and ridiculed the Saviour, who was once 
more dragged back to Pilate by the servants. 

Pilate was inclined to set Jesus free, but the Jews, insisted 
that Barabbas should be released, and that Jesus should be 
crucified. He was then scourged, crowned with thorns, and 
ridiculed and mocked by the soldiery ; and in a most pitiable 
and suffering state was presented to the people by Pilate, who 
hoped to excite their sympathies and compassion. But these, 
urged and encouraged by the chief-priests, demanded His 
blood, whilst Pilate, alarmed at their threats, pronounced the 
sentence anil handed his victim over to the soldiers for cruci- 
fixion. All these things were done before nine o'clock in the 
morning of Friday. Jesus was again mocked and ridiculed 
by the soldiers, abused in every form, and finally dragged out 
of the city, with His cross upon His shoulders, to the place of 
execution. 

The journey to Calvary and the execution consumed the 
three remaining hours before midday, and it was about noon 
when the cross, with Jesus nailed upon it, was planted be- 
tween two other crosses on which hung two malefactors. For 
three weary hours our blessed Lord hung in excruciating 
agony upon His cross, abandoned by His friends, reproached 
and ridiculed by the scribes and Jewish priests. Finally, 
about three in the afternoon, He bowed His head in death, 
and His soul went to limbo, where the souls of the just 
who died under the old dispensation were awaiting deliver- 
ance. 

Toward evening, a soldier tore open the side of Jesus with 
a lance, and soon after Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, 
with some other friends of Jesus, came, took the body from 
the cross, and buried it. 

During the Saturday the body of Jesus lay lifeless in the 
sepulcher. The chief-priests and the Pharisees induced Pilate 
to place a guard over the tomb, and it was so done. Such is 
a brief and cursory statement of the events of Redemption 
Week. 



CHAPTER II 
CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 

(Palm Sunday) 
Matt. xxi. 1-17; Mark xi. 1-11; Luke xix. 29-44; John xii. 12-50 

All the sublime doctrines of Jesus Christ, His moral code, 
His acts and omissions, were far above the dull comprehension 
and notions of mere worldings. The kingdom that He was 
to establish was not of this world, nor was it to be governed 
by the principles of this world. The humblest and meekest 
individual was to be the first and the highest in this kingdom ; 
for it was built upon the corner-stones of humility and meek- 
ness, as our divine Lord Himself states when He says : "Learn 
of Me, for I am meek and humble of heart." Our divine 
Master wished to give evidence on the first day of the solemn 
week of Redemption, of this extraordinary and unworldly 
character of His kingdom, and therefore He rode as a king, 
but a meek and humble one, on the back of an ass's foal into 
the city of Jerusalem. But desiring at the same time to give 
to His disciples a foretaste of the rewards and future triumph 
of Christian humility. He so influenced the hearts of the 
friendly crowd that, as He rode in through the gates, they 
offered Him unusual homage, singing in His honor, ' ' Hosanna 
to the Son of David, blessed is He that cometh in the name of 
the Lord, Hosanna in excelsis." 

The previous day, which was the Sabbath, Jesus had passed 
in the village of Bethania, where He had taken supper with 
Lazarus and other friends in the house of Simon the leper. 
He arose early next morning, which was Sunday, and made 
ready to set out from Bethania with His friends, passing 
through the district of Bethphage, across Mount Olivet, and 
through the valley of Josaphat, and entering Jerusalem in a 
public procession. There is a remarkable coincidence in the 
connection of these places. It was in Bethania that He had 
raised Lazarus to life. Bethphage was the place where the 
animals destined for sacrifice were kept, and whence they were 
led directly to be slain at the altar ; whilst Mount Olivet was 
the place designated as the future scene of Christ's Ascension 
forty days after His Resurrection. In the valley of Josaphat, 
according to the prediction of the prophets, the great general 
judgment is to be held. "For behold, in those days I will 
gather together all nations and will bring them down (into) 

249 



250 CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 

the valley of Josaphat, for there I will sit to judge all nations 
round about" (Joel, iii). 

Do we understand the deep prophetic sense of Christ's pro- 
cession through these renowned places? It is as if He would 
say: "I who am the true and perfect Lamb of sacrifice, am 
to-day led solemnly into the temple of Jerusalem, and five 
days later I shall be slain in sacrifice as a sin-offering for all 
the world. But on a future day I will come back in triumph 
to call the dead from their graves to judgment. And after a 
faithful and impartial judgment, the good will accompany 
IMe with the angels into heaven, where the new Jerusalem, the 
kingdom of the Son of God and of His elect, shall endure for 
all eternity." 

Before speaking at length of the divine Master's entry into 
Jerusalem, let us meditate on the preparation which He made 
for this entry, as given to us by the holy evangelists, 

1. The Preparation 

"And it came to pass on the following day, when they drew 
nigh to Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the 
mount called Olivet, He sent two of His disciples, saying: Go 
into the town which is over against you : at your entering into 
whicli, you shall find the colt of an ass tied, on which no man 
ever hath sitten : loose him and bring him hither. And if any 
man shall ask you : Why do you loose him? you shall say thus 
unto him : Because the Lord hath need of his service, and 
immediately he will let him conie hither. And they that were 
sent went their way and found the colt standing, tied before 
the gate without, in the meeting of two ways, as He had said 
unto them. And they did as Jesus had commanded them, and 
they loosed him. And as they were loosing the colt, the own- 
ers thereof, and some of them that stood there, said to them: 
AVhy loose you the colt? But they said, as Jesus had com- 
manded them : Because the Lord hath need of Him. And 
they let him go with them. And they brought the ass and the 
colt to Jesus; and laid their garments upon them, and made 
Him sit thereon. And Jesus sat upon the colt. And a very 
great multitude spread their garments in the way: and others 
cut boughs from the trees and strewed them in the way. Now 
all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken 
by the prophet, saying : Tell ye the daughter of Sion : Behold 
thy king cometh to thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass and a 
colt the foal of her that is used to the yoke. These things 



CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 251 

His disciples did not know at the first: but when Jesus was 
glorified, then they remembered that these things were written 
of Him : and that they had done these things to Him. ' ' 

Behold how considerate the Lord is to our feebleness of 
faith, to our obstinacy perhaps ! Even in the Old Testament 
He defers to these weaknesses of ours ; for He causes the most 
apparently insignificant circumstances of the life of Christ to 
be foretold by the prophets, in order that our faith, on wit- 
nessing the exact fulfillment of these predictions, may be 
strengthened, may have a certain and undoubted foundation to 
rest upon, and that we ourselves may, with fullest security, 
recognize in Jesus of Nazareth the long-promised and oft- 
foretold Messias. Thus the prophet Zacharias, more than 
500 years before, had predicted the triumphal entrance of 
Christ, as the Prince of Peace: "Rejoice greatly, daughter 
of Sion; shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem: Behold thy 
King will come to thee, the Just and Saviour : He is poor, and 
riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass. And 
I will destroy the chariot of strife, and the bow of war shall 
be broken; and He shall speak peace to the Gentiles" (Zach. 
ix. 9, 10). 

Mention is here made of certain beasts of burden, that is, 
of an ass and of her foal, upon which latter no one yet had 
ridden : the church-fathers discover in the first a figure of the 
Jewish people upon whom for centuries the burden of the 
Mosaic law had acted ; and in the colt a figure of the Gentiles, 
upon whom the sweet yoke of Christ was now to be placed for 
the first time. These writers also inform us that Christ rode 
the first part of His journey from Bethphage, up Mount 
Olivet, and through the valley of Josaphat, and near to the 
city, on the ass ; but that he rode His actual entry into the 
streets of the city on the young foal. 

2. The Solemn Entry 

' ' And as He went, they spread their clothes underneath in 
the way. And a great multitude that M^as come to the fes- 
tival-day, Avhen they had heard that Jesus was come to Je- 
rusalem, took branches of palm-trees and went forth to meet 
Him, and cried : Hosanna, blessed be He who coraeth in the 
name of the Lord, the King of Israel. As He went, many 
spread their garments underneath in the way; others cut 
down boughs from the trees and strewed them in the ^vay. 
When He was now coming near the descent of Mount Olivet, 



252 CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 

the whole multitude of His disciples beo^an with joy to praise 
God with a loud voice, for all the mighty works they had seen, 
saying: Blessed be the King who cometh in the name of the 
Lord. Peace in heaven, and glory on high. And the multitude 
that went before and that followed, cried, saying: Hosanna 
to the Son of David : Blessed is He that cometh in the name 
of the Lord; blessed be the kingdom of our father David that 
cometh. Hosanna in the highest. The multitude, therefore, 
gave testimony which was with Him when He called Lazarus 
out of the grave, and raised him from the dead ; for which 
reason also, the people came to meet Him, because they heard 
that He had done this miracle. 

"The Pharisees, therefore, said amongst themselves: Do you 
see that we prevail nothing? Behold, the whole world is gone 
after Him. ^Master, rebuke Thy disciples. But He answered: 
I say to you, that if they shall hold their peace, the stones will 
cry out. ' ' 

Here, reader, contemplate your divine Master as He passes 
so quietly and humbly across the valley of Josaphat. How 
simple and unpretending His modest retinue! The King of 
kings, without crown or sceptre, without body-guard or ser- 
vants, rides not upon a noble steed, but upon the much- 
despised ass. With head uncovered, with naked feet. His coun- 
tenance beaming with love and humble friendship, here He 
comes riding in the midst of His poor, illiterate disciples, who 
constitute His whole retinue. How very different will be His 
coming to that same valley of Josaphat on the judgment-day! 
Enthroned upon the clouds of heaven, surrounded with hosts 
of heavenly spirits, and in great power and majesty. His divine 
countenance will glow with wrath on the sinners and repro- 
bates who have not utilized the days of grace and mercy. 
How all men will then prostrate themselves with reverence 
and dreadful expectancy before this King of kings ! Honor 
Him, then, to-day with all your soul. Do not despise the out- 
ward lowliness of Him who comes riding into the royal city 
on an ass, but join the devout and simple people of Jerusalem 
in singing His praises ; and not for to-day only, let every day 
of your life be a Palm Sunday, on which you will salute your 
blessed Lord in reverence and adoration, singing, "Hosanna 
to the Son of David; blessed is He that cometh in the name 
of the Lord. Hosanna in excelsis." 

But why does our Lord, in His formal entrance to Jerusa- 
lem, ride upon an unbroken animal, an ass's colt upon which 



CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 253 

no one had ever sat? To declare to us His preference for the 
uncontaminated and innocent soul, and His love to dwell with 
such. He loves to take up His abode, with His grace and 
glory, in pure virgin hearts which have known no other owner 
but Him, and have not wasted their value and strength in the 
service of a sinful world. Happy are those parents who seek 
by careful vigilance, good example, and daily prayer, to keep 
their children in innocence and purity. But wo to those 
parents who, by tolerating and practicing luxury, pride, and 
forbidden pleasure, send their offspring to the devil, instead 
of leading them to Jesus Christ. 

The people spread their garments on the ground for Christ 
to pass over them. This was a very touching act of homage ; 
for these believing people, by throwing the best they had 
under Jesus' feet, thus acknowledge Him as their Lord and 
King. And this kind of homage is practised even in our own 
day. For the offerings made by the pious and generous peo- 
ple of all conditions, often in the face of mockery and anger 
from the children of the world, in aid of churches, schools, and 
other pious establishments, for the Holy Father, and for the 
support of the priests, are a species of homage offered to 
Christ the Lord. Nay, more. The blood of martyrs, the 
sufferings and penances of confessors, the unstained purity of 
virgins, are so many crimson, violet, and dazzling white robes 
which the Church has for centuries spread out in homage 
before and beneath the feet of her divine Spouse. 

The crowd waved olive-branches and palm-leaves over the 
head of Jesus as He proceeded through the streets. Is there 
any mysterious meaning in the waving of these fresh green 
boughs? In the first place, these sappy and fragrant branches 
are symbolical of good works, especially of that love and good 
will toward our neighbor, which we hope to practice with and 
in Christ, and to hold before Him green and fragrant on the 
day of judgment. The palm branches signify the glorious 
victory of Christ, and our victory through Him, over sin, 
death, and hell. The olive-branches remind us of the sweet 
and happy peace which Christ, by His atonement, obtained 
for redeemed and reconciled creation. Such, too, is the triple 
meaning of those green branches, blessed by the Church each 
year, on Palm Sunday, with great solemnity and lengthy 
prayer, to be afterward reverently borne in procession, and 
then kept in the homes of the faithful, as an effective protec- 
tion against the dangers of soul and body. 



254 CHEIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 

AVhen taking part in the ceremonies of Palm Sunday, we 
should direct our closest attention to the deep instruction and 
suggestive meaning of the ritual. Human life is a pilgrim's 
progress, in the course of which the Christian should be care- 
fully active to enrich himself with good works, as sj'-mbolized 
in the green boughs. AVhile holding the blessed palms, he 
should remember that he is to strive for the attainment of 
victory over sin and hell, of which victory palm is the uni- 
versally accepted emblem. As he kisses the olive-branch, he 
should excite in his heart a practical longing for heaven's 
happiness and peace, as symbolized by the olive-branch. The 
three loud rap-^- made with the cross upon the church-door 
should remind him that admission to heaven is to be secured 
only by virtue of the three hours of sacrifice offered by Christ 
on the cross of Calvary. Wiiile retaining in his home the 
green twig of blessed palm, he should remember for what 
end and purpose the Church blessed that palm, when she pro- 
nounced the prayer, "Bless, Lord, and sanctify these 
branches, that those who receive them may thereby receive 
protection for soul and body, and an efficient sign of grace; 
that in whatsoever place they may be retained, the inhabitants 
thereof may enjoy Thy blessing and be guarded by Thy right 
hand." 

Those who accompanied Jesus from Bethphage, or who met 
Him on the way, raised their voices in His praise, singing 
hosannas. This Hebrew word is at once an exclamation of 
joy and an expression of good will, respect, and love for the 
person to whom it is addressed. And is not every religious 
procession such a hosanna? The man who, with proper dis- 
positions, takes part in a religious procession, professes aloud 
and fearlessly before the eyes of the world his belief in Jesus 
Christ and his willingness to serve Him in love, joy, and grati- 
tude. Although incredulity, religious indifference, and world- 
liness find fault with this public manifestation of homage and 
faith, a believing people Avill be as little affected by such 
strictures, as were the honest disciples by the pitiful remarks 
of the Pharisees. 

The words "Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the 
Lord," are taken from the 117th Psalm, the same that con- 
tains the remarkable prediction concerning Jesus : ' ' The stone 
which the builders rejected, the same is made the head of the 
corner. ' ' This psalm was sung every year, when the paschal 
lambs were led in solemn procession into Jerusalem five days 



CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 255 

before the festival of the Passover. And Jesus, on this same 
fifth day before the great feast, is conducted as the true 
Paschal Lamb into the same city of sacrifice. It is surely by 
an interposition of the Holy Ghost, that the people salute 
Him in the same words in which but a few hours before they 
saluted the paschal lambs when led in by their keepers to be 
slain in the solemn sacrifices. 

3. Christ Weeps Over Jerusalem 

But, alas, how fickle is human nature ! how changeable the 
human heart ! How unreliable is popular favor ! how hollow 
and uncertain earthly honors and dignities ! To-day the peo- 
ple would carry their Messias on their shoulders into the city ; 
to-day they give to their long-expected King a triumphant 
reception ; to-day they shout hosannas in His favor ; and after 
five short days these same people, instigated by their priests 
and scribes, cry out : ' ' Crucify Him ! ' ' then place the cross 
upon His shoulders and put Him to death, and thus bring 
destruction upon their proud city of Jerusalem. Our all- 
seeing Lord foresees all this in the midst of the rejoicing, and 
He begins to grow sad, to weep, and to complain, as the holy 
gospel has it in the following words : 

"And when Jesus drew near, seeing the city, He wept over 
it, saying : If thou also hadst known, and that in this thy day, 
the things that are to thy peace, but now they are hidden from 
thy eyes. For the days shall come upon thee : and thy enemies 
shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and 
straiten thee on every side, and beat thee flat to the ground, 
and thy children who are in thee, and they shall not leave in 
thee a stone upon a stone : because thou hast not known the 
time of thy visitation." 

Once before, the Saviour had pronounced a similar ominous 
prediction about Jerusalem, and in bitter anguish of heart, 
had said: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the proph- 
ets and stonest them that were sent to thee, how often would 
I have gathered thy children as the bird doth her brood under 
her wings, and thou wouldst not. Behold your house shall be 
left to you desolate. ' ' Now the hour is at hand when this ill- 
fated city will complete its crime by laying violent hands upon 
the greatest of all the prophets, the Son of God Himself. And 
whilst the triumphant hosannas of the excited crowd are ring- 
ing in His ears, the whole dreadful picture of impending 
treachery, and of imminent ruin, and death, stands out clearly 



256 CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 

before His mental gaze. "Hosanna" and "Cnicify Him!" 
Palm Sunday and Good Friday ! how close together they come, 
even, alas, in our own daily practice ! Be prepared. Christian 
reader, for similar treatment. When men praise you and com- 
mend your works ; when they admire your good qualities, ex- 
tolling your beauty of person ; when friends profess eternal 
fidelity, and fortune smiles the sweetest, be guarded ; trust not 
earthly happiness ; say often seriously to yourself : A single 
day can change all this. Do not let yourself be carried away. 
Even now, in the days of your prosperity, make yourself 
familiar with thoughts of future humiliation, of reverses, dis- 
appointments, and losses; not indeed in dejection, discourage- 
ment, or gloomy misanthropy, but in child-like submission to 
the hand of Him who, with infinite wisdom and paternal 
kindness, orders the destiny of every individual. 

4. Christ in the Temple. Envy of the Scribes 

"And when Jesus was come into Jerusalem, the whole city 
was moved, saying: Who is this? And the people said: This 
is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus 
went into the temple of God. xVnd there came to Him the 
blind, and the lame in the temple : and He healed them. And 
the chief-priests and scribes seeing the wonderful things that 
He did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying: 
Hosanna to the Son of David, were moved with indignation. 
And said to Him: Hearest Thou what these say? And Jesus 
said to them : Yea ; have you never read : Out of the mouth 
of infants and of sucklings, thou hast perfected praise?" 

The first visit of our Lord, after arriving at Jerusalem, 
was not to the royal castle of His ancestor David, but to the 
temple of the Lord; in order to show us, that although He 
was David's son and really a king, yet His first and all- 
important office w^as that High-priest, of Mediator and Re- 
deemer. Yes, His first visit was to the temple, in order to 
offer to His heavenly Father all the homage which was now 
paid to Himself by the multitude. His first visit was to the 
temple in order to teach us that we, too, on first entering a 
town or village, should, if time and circumstances permit, 
make a short visit to the church, and there pay homage to 
God and beg His blessings on ourselves and our undertakings. 
Alas how few Christians in our day seem to trouble them- 
selves about heaven's blessing, on which everything entirely 
depends ! 



CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 257 

The high-priests and scribes who throng the temple to-day, 
have no word of welcome, no word of praise for the Messias. 
Sullen and envious, they stand, listening with ill-suppressed 
anger to the loud hosannas shouted by the innocent children 
in honor of the wonder-worker, of Him who is curing the lame 
and the blind and the deaf. How wonderful is the power in 
the stainless soul of a child! It sees and appreciates the 
divine and the true, when the mature and experienced, though 
blinded and passionate man, can discover nothing good. It 
feels itself irresistibly drawn to love and adore its Saviour, 
when the experienced man, hardened in selfishness, seems to 
have no heart to be drawn or influenced. Hence those words 
of the royal Psalmist are significant and ever memorable, 
where he tells us : " Out of the mouth of infants and of suck- 
lings thou hast perfected praise" {Ps. viii. 3). How sublime 
the duty of the Christian mother ! To her is entrusted the 
development of the confiding faith and of the sacred loving- 
power of the child, in order perhaps that the vivifying rays 
issuing from the pure soul of the child may, sooner or later, 
penetrate into the gloomy recesses of an unbelieving father's 
heart, and light up therein a knowledge and appreciation of 
divine mercy. 

Whom do we find in the temple, next to the children, taking 
a kindly interest in Christ and approaching Him with respect 
and reverence? They are pagans, well-disposed,, guileless 
Gentiles, as we learn from the evangelist. 

5. The Gentiles Desire to See Jesus. A Voice from 

Heaven 

"Now there were certain Gentiles among them who came 
up to adore on the festival day. These therefore came to 
Philip who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, say- 
ing : Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth 
Andrew: again Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus 
answered them, saying : The hour is come that the Son of man 
should be glorified. Amen, amen I say to you, unless the grain 
of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone; 
but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth 
his life shall lose it ; and he that hateth his life in this world, 
keepeth it unto life eternal. If any man minister to Me, let 
him follow Me ; and where I am, there also shall My minister 
be. If any man minister to Me, him will My Father honor. 
Now is My soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, 



258 CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 

save ]\Ie from this hour. But for this cause I came unto this 
hour. Father, glorify Thy name. A voice therefore came 
from heaven : I have both glorified it, and will glorify it 
again. The multitude therefore that stood and heard, said 
that it thundered. Others said: An Angel spoke to Him. 
Jesus answered, and said : This voice came not because of Me, 
but for your sakes. ' ' 

In the beginning of His public ministry, our blessed Lord 
had enjoined His disciples to preach the gospel to the Jews, 
not to the heathens. Now, however, since the Jews rejected 
the salvation presented for their acceptance, the hour has come 
for the Gentiles to be admitted to Jesus, and for Him to be 
glorified by the heathens. True, the disciples had very mis- 
taken notions about the manner in which their Master was to 
be glorified. When they saw these Gentiles seeking an inter- 
view with Him, they fondly hoped that now the time had 
come when their beloved IMaster would be recognized abroad, 
and honored and respected by the Gentiles. But Christ un- 
deceived them, saying: "Yes, the time is at hand w^hen the 
Son of God will be glorified ; but, like the seed of the wheat, 
which must die in the soil before it can bring forth fruit, so 
must Christ die by the incredulity of the Jews, in order to 
grow, multiply, and produce fruit among the Gentiles." And 
in point of fact, what an abundant harvest has been gathered 
from the planting of this seed among the Gentiles ! What are 
the thousands of martyrs, virgins, confessors, and saints, but 
the precious fruits produced from the crushed, broken, and 
buried seed, the crucified Saviour? In truth, the precious life 
laid down and sacrificed unto death by Christ for the salva- 
tion of the world, was revived, not only in His own personal 
resurrection, but it has been revived and multiplied a thou- 
sandfold in the pure and sanctified lives of all the saints. 
These have not foolishly loved their temporal life and its 
accidental goods, but have offered up all things for Christ's 
sake. Hence they have gained personal life for all eternity; 
whilst, moreover, from their sacrifice, a stream of life has 
flowed down upon the earth, as will be made manifest on 
judgment-day. "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of new 
Christians. ' ' 

To be sure, this self-sacrifice even unto death, is a thing that 
human nature recoils from with a shudder. Even this dread, 
this agonizing fear of death, our divine Master chose' to feel 
and experience in His human nature, and more deeply and 



CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 259 

keenly than man ever felt. ' ' My soul is troubled : and what 
shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour." He used 
similar language in His agony in the garden of Olives: "My 
soul is sorrowful even unto death. Father, if it be possible, 
let this chalice pass away." Here, as in the first place, He 
wished to show clearly, impressively, and with certainty, that 
He had taken to Himself human nature with all its weak- 
nesses, sin alone excepted, and with all its capabilities of 
suffering ; that He had become, in the truest and fullest sense 
of the word, our companion in suffering. Here, too, He teaches 
that man can rise above this dreadful shrinking of His nature. 
For when He exclaims in the garden, "Father, not My will, 
but Thine be done, ' ' He says, as it were, ' ' I will submit Myself 
to all the horrors of the death-hour in order to glorify My 
Father's name. His holiness, and His justice; for this pru- 
pose I came into the world. Behold, Father, I am ready." 
And now the Father shows in a solemn manner, by a miracu- 
lous voice from heaven, that He has accepted this honor, ren- 
dered by the hitherto continual self-denial of His Son, and 
that He will accept it till the completion of the sacrifice on 
Calvary. From this sacrifice, even unto death, flows a torrent 
of life to the world, that is, a glorious triumph over Satan 
the prince of this world, as well as the redemption of all those 
who incorporate themselves to Christ by faith and love. Hence 
the divine Master testifies further. 

6. Christ, Having Taught in the Temple, Goes to 
Bethania 

"Now is the judgment of the world : now shall the prince of 
this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, 
will draw all things to Myself. (Now this He said, signifying 
what death He should die. ) The multitude answered Him : We 
have heard out of the law, that Christ abideth forever : and 
how say est Thou: The Son of man must be lifted up? Who 
is this Son of man ? Jesus therefore said to them : Yet a little 
while, the light is among you. Walk whilst you have the light, 
that the darkness overtake you not : and he that walketh in 
darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. Whilst you have the 
light, believe in the light, that you may be the children of 
light. These things Jesus spoke : and He went away, and hid 
Himself from them. And whereas He had done so many 
miracles before them, they believed not in Him : that the say- 
ing of Isaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he said : 



260 CHRIST'S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 

Lord, who hath believed our hearing? and to whom liath the 
arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not 
believe, because Isaias said again : He hath blinded their eyes, 
and hardened their heart : that they should not see with their 
eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and 
I should heal them : These things said Isaias when he saw 
His glory, and spoke of Him. However, many of the chief 
men also believed in Him : but because of the Pharisees they 
did not confess Him, that they might not be cast out of the 
synagogue; for they loved the glory of men more than the 
glory of God. But Jesus cried, and said : He that believeth 
in Me, doth not believe in Me, but in Him that sent Me. And 
he that seeth ^Me, seeth Him that sent Me. I am come a light 
into the world : that whosoever believeth in Me, may not re- 
main in darkness. And if any man hear My words, and keep 
them not, I do not judge him; for I came not to judge the 
world, but to save the world. He that despiseth Me, and 
reeeiveth not My words, hath one that judgeth him; the word 
that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 
For I have not spoken of Myself, but the Father who sent 
j\le. He gave Me commandment what I should say, and what 
I should speak. And I know that His commandment is life 
everlasting. The things therefore that I speak, even as the 
Father said unto Me, so do I speak. And Jesvis leaving them, 
having viewed all things round about, when now the eventide 
was come, went out of the city into Bethania with the twelve, 
and remained there." 

Although Isaias had foretold of Christ's contemporaries, 
that the Lord should blind their eyes and harden their hearts, 
and although the evangelist adds, "therefore they could not 
believe," we must not forget that this most dreadful of all 
punishments, namely, blindness of the understanding and 
hardness of the heart, was visited upon the Jews because they 
deserved it. True, this punishment had been ordained in the 
immutable decrees of God, but only because He had foreseen 
from eternity the voluntary or free-will malice of the Jews. 
Christ did not come for the destruction, but for the saving 
of all men. Therefore, just because Jerusalem, in the per- 
sons of its chief people, rejected the message of salvation; 
because they persistently denied this saving word, confirmed 
and proved as it was by the most touching evidences of love 
and incontestable miracles of divine power, this very word 
became their judge and their punishment. 



THE FRUITLESS FIG-TREE 261 

And yet, not all were so maliciously incredulous as to reject 
the saving word of the Redeemer. For the evangelist says 
plainly : 

"However, many of the chief men also believed in Him 
but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, that 
they might not be cast out of the synagogue; for they loved 
the glory of men more than the glory of God. ' ' 

Alas for the cowardice of men ! Miserable pusillanimity ! 
thou art the gnawing, cancerous vice of our day. For fear of 
displeasing a fellow-mortal like himself, a man will deny, at 
least outwardly, the Son of the living God and give silent 
consent to all the persecutions and oppressions directed 
against His Church. In order not to appear "odd," in order 
to be considered "enlightened," the craven creature will 
cease his attendance at church and give up all the old-fash- 
ioned pious practices and principles of his forefathers. 
Rather than be excluded from the society of so-called en- 
lightened people, he relinquishes his companionship with God. 
To what will such conduct lead us ? Jesus, have pity on us ! 
do not punish our generation as its cowardice and fear of 
mortals must richly deserve. permit the old courage, the 
solid decision of character which our fathers possessed, to 
return again to our hearts : lest, as upon Jerusalem, so upon 
our land and race, the chastisements of heaven should come 
down, — chastisements well earned by the irreligion of our 
public men and by the pliant servility of our people. These 
"leaders of the people" have, in the name of Uberty and 
progress, declared war against Thy Church, and we, alas ! 
are silent. Millions tremble, and tremble in silence, before 
the threatening words of a few wicked men. 



CHAPTER III 

THE FRUITLESS FIG-TREE. THE BUYERS AND 

SELLERS IN THE TEMPLE 

(Monday in Holy Week) 

Matt. xxi. 12, 13, 18, 19; Mark xi. 12-17; Luke xix. 45-48 

1, Christ Curses the Barren Fig- Tree 
Undeserving as were the Jewish people, our blessed Lord, 
in His mercy and love, made a final effort on Palm Sunday 
to soften their stony hearts. In deep humility, and overflow- 



262 THE FRUITLESS FIG-TREE 

ing with sympathy and love for man. He had come publicly 
into their city, had performed miracles before their eyes in 
the temple, curing the lame and the blind, had preached to 
them all day. and had Himself and His teachings confirmed 
by a miraculous voice from heaven. And what were the 
fruits of this day of miracles? Alas, how indescribably sad 
the result of His efforts ! The scribes and the Pharisees were 
more hardened than ever in their incredulity, while the few 
who did believe were too cowardh'' to avow their belief openly. 
Amongst this vast assemblage of the great and wealthy of 
Jerusalem, not one was found to offer shelter or food to our 
Saviour when the day was over. He was therefore compelled 
to return to Bethania and seek hospitality with His friend 
Lazarus and his devoted sisters. 

"And in the morning of the next day, when they came out 
from Bethania, returning into the city, Jesus was hungry. 
And when He had seen afar off a fig-tree having leaves, He 
came, if, perhaps. He might find anything on it. And when 
He was come to it, He found nothing but leaves; for it was 
not the time for figs. And answering. He said to it: May no 
man hereafter eat fruit of thee; may no fruit grow on thee 
henceforward for ever. And His disciples heard it. And 
inmiediately the fig-tree withered away and died." 

In this remarkable incident of our Saviour's life, the 
Church-fathers discover not only a proof of His miraculous 
powers, but an example of His just chastisement, and a symbol 
of the dreadful sentence to be executed upon useless people. 
As the hungry man desires food, so had Christ an eager yearn- 
ing for the salvation of His nation. Two thousand years had 
elapsed since the selection of this people in the person of their 
father Abraham. In order to prepare them for salvation, 
God had favored them with an unbroken series of miracles, a 
grand and deeply significant public worship, the undoubted 
words of divinely-commissioned prophets, promises, warnings, 
counsel, threats, and finally, the sending of His only begotten 
Son. And now where were the fruits of this extraordinary 
dispensation of a merciful God ? As He drew near, He found 
only leaves, that is, only an external ceremonial devoid of 
spirit and of the fear of God ; only outward works without 
inward holiness, only a silly national pride, a vain boasting of 
their forefather Abraham and of the promises given to him; 
yet the utmost disregard for the very life and soul of these 
promises, the real Messias, who now stood amongst them. The 



THE FRUITLESS FIG-TREE 263 

Jewish nation had become like a barren fig-tree, on which, 
instead of fruits, only rustling dry leaves were to be found ; 
and like the tree, now that the time of grace for them was at 
an end, they must bear the curse. 

2. He Drives the Dealers Out of the Temple 

"And they came to Jerusalem, and Jesus was teaching 
daily in the temple. And when He went into the temple of 
God He began to cast out them that sold and bought in the 
temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and 
the chairs of them that sold doves. And He suffered not that 
any man should carry a vessel through the temple. And He 
taught them, saying to them : It is written. My house shall be 
called the house of prayer to all nations : but you have made 
it a den of thieves. Which, when the chief-priests and the 
scribes and the princes of the people had heard, they sought 
how they might destroy Him. And they found not what to 
do with Him; for they feared Him, because the whole multi- 
tude was very attentive to Him, and in admiration at His 
doctrine. And when evening was come. He went forth out of 
the city." 

The fathers of the Church see three things in this purifying 
of the temple by Christ, — a glorious miracle, an impressive 
warning, and a symbolic action of much meaning. For is it 
not extraordinary that a poor Nazarene, who was heartily 
despised by the chief people among the Jews, would dare 
thus alone to disperse this crowd of persons, attacking and 
reproaching them with their unbecoming conduct; that the 
crowd of purchasers and sellers, money-changers and traders 
and temple-servants should have fled before the angry glance 
of the Son of man, and become so confused, frightened, and 
ashamed, that not one opposed Him, nor attempted any de- 
fence? "A heavenly fire," says St. Jerome, "beamed from 
His eyes, and divine majesty sat enthroned upon His brow." 

But why did Jesus, who at other times was so mild and 
gentle, treat those people with such rigor? Because the re- 
spect due to the Most High was being trampled under foot, 
because the devotion of the people was disturbed, the silence 
and solemnity of the temple were displaced by the noise and 
clamor of the dealers and by the bleating and lowing of the 
cattle. But more especially because the Jewish priests allowed 
all kinds of oppressive usury to be practiced by those dealers 
whom they themselves had appointed; thus literally trans- 



264 THE POWER OF FAITH 

forming the house of God into a den of thieves. Animals for 
sacrifice were sold to the faithful at exorbitant prices. More- 
over, as all the payments had to be made in Hebrew coin, 
strangers from distant districts were charged enormous dis- 
count on their money when changing it for the current coin. 
Such was the anger of Christ then, and such it is to-day at the 
desecration of His Father's house by those who disregard its 
sanctity ; a warning for all time. Alas, how many temples 
would our Lord find to-day that need purifying!^ 

Lastly, in this purifying of the temple by our Lord, in 
the cursing of the tig-tree, and in many other actions, we must 
not lose sight of the internal meaning. Christ opened His 
public career by a cleansing of the temple, and a similar act 
closes His active life. It is thus that He signifies to us the 
chief object of His public life. St. Paul thus beautifully 
explains this mystery: "Know you not that your members are 
temples of the Holy Ghost ; that you are the temples of God 
wherein I shall fix My dwelling-place?'' Christ came into the 
■world to purify man, the spiritual house of God, from the 
stain of sin, from the foolishness of the world, from the 
tyranny of the flesh, and from the slavery of the devil, and 
to elevate it to its original dignity. "If any man violate the 
temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of 
God is holy: which you are." 



CHAPTER IV 



THE POWER OP FAITH. CHRIST'S CONTROVERSIES 

WITH THE PHARISEES. VARIOUS PARABLES 

(Tuesday in Holy Week) 

Matt. xxi. 20; xxii. 14; Mark xi. 20; xii. 12; Luke xx. 1-19 

1. The Power of Faith 
"And when they passed by in the morning, the disciples 
saw the fig-tree dried up from the roots. And Peter remem- 

'Down to a very recent date, some very ancient tablets might be seen 
in the porches of venerable churches, bearing the following significant 
question and answer: "What are the evil effects of talking in church? 
In the first place, it robs God of His glory, displeases the angels and 
saints, and deprives souls in purgatory of relief; in the second place, it 
stifles devotion in the worshipper, lessens the advantages of prayer, and 
even prevents its being heard; in the third place, it disedifies our neigh- 
bors and distracts him in his devotions; finally, it is a sin that will be 
punished in purgatory." 



THE POWER OF FAITH 265 

bering, said to Him: Rabbi, behold the fig-tree which Thou 
didst curse is withered away. And the disciples wondered, 
saying: How is it presently withered away? And Jesus 
answering, saith to them : Have the faith of God. Amen I 
say to you, if you shall have faith and stagger not, not only 
tliis of the fig-tree shall you do, but also whosoever shall say 
to this mountain :^ Be thou removed and cast into the sea, it 
shall be done, if he shall not stagger in his heart, but believe 
that whatsoever he saith shall be done, it shall be done unto 
him. Therefore I say unto you, all things whatsoever you 
ask when ye pray, believe that you shall receive, and they 
shall come unto you. And when you stand to pray, forgive, 
if you have aught against any man : that your Father also 
who is in heaven may forgive you your sins. But if you will 
not forgive, neither will your Father that is in heaven forgive 
you your sins. ' ' 

Our Saviour here imputes, as He did on a former occasion, 
a great, an omnipotent power to faith, so that we may well 
ask in astonishment : How can this be ? And yet it must be 
so. For is not God our Father, all mighty, to whom nothing 
is impossible? Can anything be impossible to Him who made 
the world out of nothing; who every summer brings forth 
vast harvests from one little seed, and causes the tree which 
was lifeless and dry during winter, to put forth leaves, blos- 
soms, and fruit in the summer? But remember that this 
mighty God is also our loving Father, an infinitely good and 
true Father to all His children. Hence it must be true that 
He can and will do, at all times, whatever is for the benefit of 
His children, even though, according to man's reckoning, the 
greatest difficulties and hindrances should intervene. 

But it is also true that such glad and unlimited trust can 
exist only in a true child of God. Only in proportion to our 
unconditional faithfulness and complete submission to our 
heavenly Father, and in proportion to the purity of our lives, 
may we venture to make use of this our Father's power for 
our own purposes. To this truth the evangelist St. John 
testifies in the following words : ' ' Dearly beloved, if our heart 
do not reprehend us, we have confidence toward God : and 
whatsoever we shall ask, we shall receive of Him, because we 
keep His commandments and do those things which are pleas- 
ing in His sight; and He that keepeth His commandments, 
abideth in Him, and He in him." Hence the Christian may 

^The Mount of Olives, which they were then passing. 



266 THE POWER OP FAITH 

understand the saying of Christ: that it is only by virtue of 
the mj'Sterions and close communion existing between the 
saint and his God, that his prayer can obtain all which it 
asks for, or he enjoy a share in the divine power, as may be 
seen clearly in the life of any saint. 

2. The Authority of Christ and that of John 

"And they came again to Jerusalem. And when Jesus was 
walking in the temple, there came to Him as He was teaching, 
the chief-priests and the scribes and the ancients of the peo- 
ple, saying: Tell us by what authority dost Thou these things? 
and who hath given Thee this authority that Thou shouldst 
do these things? Jesus answering, said to them: I will also 
ask 3^ou one word : which if you shall tell Me, I will also tell 
you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of 
John, whence was it? from heaven, or from men? Answer 
Me. But they thought within themselves, saying : If we 
shall say from heaven. He will say to us: Why then did you 
not believe him ? But if we shall say from men, we are afraid 
of the multitude, that the whole people will stone us : for they 
are persuaded that John was a prophet. And answering 
Jesus, they said : We know not. He also said to them : Neither 
do I tell you by what authority I do these things." 

Our Lord, by His counter-questions, had placed the scribes 
and high-priests in a difficult position, and let in a flood of 
light which revealed the whole gloomy abyss of their incon- 
sistency and hypocrisy. For either they considered St. John 
to be an impostor and a deceiver of the people, in which case 
it became their duty as spiritual guides of the people to con- 
demn him openly and at once; or else they looked upon him 
as a prophet sent from God, and in such case, they would 
be obliged to acknowledge Jesus to be the Messias, for St. 
John had on several occasions openly declared Him to be such. 
In their obstinacy, these blinded men would not do either one 
or the other, and were not ashamed to answer Jesus' question 
with a manifest lie, "We know not." Hence Jesus punished 
them by pronouncing the following parable: 

3. Parable of the Two Sons Sent by Their Father into 
the Vineyard 

"And He began to speak to them in parables, saying : What 
think you? A certain man had two sons, and coming to the 
first, he said : Son, go work to-day in my vineyard. And he 



THE POWER OF FAITH 267 

answering, said : I will not. But afterward, being moved with 
repentance, he went. And coming to the other, he said in 
like manner. And he answering, said : I go, sir, and he went 
not. Which of the two did the father's will? They say to 
him : The first. Jesus saith to them : Amen I say to you, that 
the publicans and the harlots shall go into the kingdom of 
God before you. For John came to you in the way of justice, 
and you did not believe him; but the publicans and the 
harlots believed him: but you seeing it, did not even after- 
ward repent, that you might believe him." 

Thus the high-priest and scribes condemned themselves and 
pronounced their own sentence. They who had God's law 
constantly in their minds, who atfected to consider themselves 
its most zealous and faithful adherents, rejected this law just 
at the decisive moment; when its completion had come in 
Jesus Christ, who had been announced so plainly and em- 
phatically by John the Baptist. They who, by virtue of their 
being chosen by God in the person of their father Abraham, 
considered themselves to be the favored children of God and 
superior to all other nations, now denied this Sonship on the 
very day that the Son of God by His union with human 
nature, sealed it in truth. They also despised the friend of 
this bridegroom, John the Baptist, and rejoiced in their malice 
when Herod cast him into prison. Thus they were like the 
second son in the parable, who, in word, was willing, but in 
work, faithless and deceptive. Public sinners, on the con- 
trary, publicans and even harlots, who at first had rejected 
the law of God, returned upon hearing penance preached by 
St. John, and hence found compassion and mercy at the hands 
of Jesus. The rejection of the Jews and the preferring of the 
Gentiles, are the two great truths which our Saviour wishes 
to inculcate in this and the two following parables. 

4. Parable of the Vineyard and the Wicked Husbandmen 

' ' And He began to speak to the multitude this parable, say- 
ing : Hear ye another parable : There was a man an house- 
holder who planted a vineyard, and made a hedge round 
about it, and dug in it a press, and built a tower, and let it 
out to husbandmen, and went into a strange country. And 
when the time of the fruits drew nigh, he sent his servants to 
the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits thereof. 
And the husbandmen laying hands on his servants, beat one, 
and killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other 



268 THE POWER OF FAITH 

servants more than the former : and the,y did to them in like 
manner. Therefore, having yet one son, most dear to him: 
he also sent him nnto them last of all, saying: They will 
reverence my son. But the husbandmen seeing the son, said 
among themselves: This is the heir, come, let us kill him, and 
\Ye shall have his inheritance. And laying hold on him, they 
killed him : and cast him out of the vineyard. When there- 
fore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to 
those husbandmen ? They say to him : He will bring those 
evil men to an evil end : and will let out his vineyard to other 
husbandmen, that shall render him the fruit in due season. 
Jesus saith to them : He will come and destroy those husband- 
men, and will give the vineyard to others. Which they hear- 
ing, said to him: God forbid. But he looking on them, said: 
What is this then that is written ? have you never read in the 
Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected, the same 
is become the head of the corner? By the Lord this hath 
been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes : therefore I say to 
you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and 
shall be given to a nation yielding the fruits thereof. And 
whosoever shall fall on this stone, shall be broken : but on 
whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder. And 
when the chief-priests and Pharisees had heard His parables, 
they knew that He spoke of them. And seeking to lay hands 
on Him, they feared the multitudes : because they held Him 
as a prophet. ' ' 

It can not surprise us if the scribes at once felt that this 
parable related to themselves. Even the prophet Isaias 800 
years earlier had declared it in his allegory or canticle of 
his Beloved One, namely, Jesus Christ, saying : 

"I will sing to my beloved the canticle of my cousin con- 
cerning his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a hill 
in a fruitful place. And he fenced it in, and picked the 
stones out of it, and planted it with choicest vines, and built 
a tower in the midst thereof, and set up a wine-press therein : 
and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought 
forth wild grapes. And now, ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, 
and ye men of Juda, judge between me and my vineyard. 
What is there that I ought to do more to my vineyard, that I 
have not done to it ? Was it that I looked that it should bring 
forth grapes, and it hath brought forth wild grapes? And 
now I will show you what I ^^dll do to my vineyard. I will 
take away the hedge thereof: and it shall be wasted: I will 



THE POWER OF FAITH 269 

break down the wall thereof: and it shall be trodden down. 
And I will make it desolate : it shall not be pruned, and it 
shall not be digged : but briars and thorns shall come up : and 
I will command the clouds to rain no rain upon it. For the 
vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel : and the 
man of Juda his pleasant plant : and I looked that he should 
do judgment, and behold iniquity : and do justice, and be- 
hold a cry. Wo to you that join house to house, and lay field 
to field, even to the end of the place : shall you alone dwell 
in the midst of the earth? These things are in my ears, saith 
the Lord of hosts. Of a truth many great and fair houses 
shall become desolate, without an inhabitant. For ten acres 
of vineyards shall yield one little measure, and thirty bushels 
of seed shall yield three bushels." 

In this allegory of Isaias, the vineyard signifies the Jewish 
nation Avhose unfaithfulness and consequent dreadful destruc- 
tion the prophet foresaw and foretold. In the parable of 
Christ, the vineyard is that jewel entrusted to the Israelites, 
of the true faith, of divine worship, of grace, of law, of 
promises; in a word, the Church. The divine threats and 
chastisements are likened to a protecting wall around this 
spiritual vineyard ; the wine-press was the altar on which 
flowed the blood of sacrificed animals, like fresh and fragrant 
wine; the tower in the midst of the vineyard was the conse- 
crated temple at Jerusalem, the religious center of that nation ; 
the tenants to whom the vinery was let out were the priests 
and scribes; the servants sent at difi^erent times to the vine- 
dressers were the prophets ; the only Son is Jesus Christ, whom 
the ruthless vine-dressers cast out of the vineyard and slew. 
In these last words, our Lord alluded to the fact, that three 
days hence they would drag Him through the streets of Je- 
rusalem, and put Him to death on the cross. 

Without reflection, and even now a prey to the penalty of 
their blindness, the high-priests and scribes at once pro- 
nounced their own sentence : ' ' He will come, and will destroy 
these husbandmen, and will give the vineyard to others, that 
shall render him the fruit in due season." Yes indeed, these 
evil men will perish miserably in the days of Titus and Ves- 
pasian, who will turn Jerusalem into a desert, as Isaias had 
predicted. Yes, these treacherous husbandmen will meet a 
dreadful fate at the hands of the evil spirits in hell, to which 
place their souls will be sentenced for all eternity. But the 
vineyard, that precious depository of faith and grace, will 



270 THE POAVER OF FAITH 

first be renewed, completed, and beautified, in Jesus Christ, 
and then be entrusted to other vine-dressers ; that is, placed 
in charge of the apostles and their successors; whilst the 
blood of the martyrs, the unstained innocence of the virgins, 
the fortitude of her confessors, the good works of all her 
saints, will be the fruits which the newly-appointed vine- 
dressers will present to the divine Master as the products of 
the vineyard, as the fruits growing from the deposit of faith 
and of grace during all ages. 

insane folly of the Jews! Their faith, their religion, 
their hope, their dignity, their preferment above other na- 
tions, all this was founded entirely upon the Messias, and upon 
Him alone. Therefore when they rejected the foundation- 
stone of their system, the whole building fell to the ground. 

5. Parable of the Supper 

''And Jesus answering, spoke again in parables to them, 
saying : The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king, who made 
a marriage for his son. And he sent his servants to call them 
that were invited to the marriage : and they would not come. 
Again he sent other servants, saying: Tell them that were 
invited : Behold, I have prepared my dinner, my beeves and 
fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come ye to the 
marriage. But they neglected ; and went their ways, one to 
his farm, and another to his merchandise: and the rest laid 
hands on his servants, and having treated them contumeliously, 
put them to death. But when the king had heard of it, he 
was angry : and sending his armies, he destroyed those mur- 
derers and burned their city. Then he saith to his servants : 
The marriage indeed is ready, but they that were invited were 
not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many 
as you shall find, call to the marriage. And his servants 
going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they 
found, both bad and good : and the marriage was filled with 
guests. And the king went in to see the guests: and he saw 
there a man who had not on a wedding garment. And he 
saith to him : Friend, how earnest thou in thither not having on 
a wedding garment ? But he was silent. Then the king said 
to the w^aiters: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into 
the exterior darkness : there shall be weeping and gnashing of 
teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen. The Phari- 
sees then left Him and went their way. ' ' 

Our divine Master had pronounced to the Jews a similar 




Maitin iM u(■l^tl 



('oiiyri{,'lil liy Beiiziger Brothers 

St. Blase Curing the Child in Whose Ti-iroat a Fish-Bone 

Had Lodged 



THE POAVER OF FAITH 271 

parable on a former occasion. To-day He repeats it, and, by 
the addition of the murder which the ruthless guests had 
inflicted upon the servants, and by the fate of the guest who 
had appeared at the banquet without a wedding garment, 
makes it more striking and pointing more directly to his 
imminent death on the cross. He also adds to the significance 
of the supper, by making it a wedding supper;— a very 
beautiful and appropriate figure. For what is God's earthly 
kingdom in its foundation, in its continuance, and in its 
completion, but the marriage of the King of heaven's Son with 
humanity? The kingdom of God, in its very foundation, is 
the Incarnation of the eternal Word, who, in the chaste womb 
of Mary, united itself to human nature in an inseparable 
union forever. The kingdom of God, in its continued exist- 
ence, is the Catholic Church, which Christ has won as a bride 
at the price of His heart's blood, and with whom He will be 
united all days, till the end of time. The kingdom of God, in 
its perfection on earth, is the holy communion in which Christ 
is truly, really, and substantially joined or married to the 
human soul, that it may live in Him and by Him. So then 
the glorious promise is fulfilled in God's kingdom on earth, 
as we have it in the book of the prophet Osee : " I will espouse 
thee to me forever : and I will espouse thee to me in justice 
and judgment, and in mercy, and in commiserations : and I 
will espouse thee to me in faith." Hence, too, the true and 
appreciative Christian reveres the virgin-womb of Mary, the 
holy cross, and the host, as the three chosen altars before 
which each of those mystic marriages has taken place between 
the Son of heaven's King and humanity, and still continues 
and perfects itself. 

The Jews, as God's chosen people, were the first called or 
invited to a share in the graces of this wedding of the divinity 
to humanity; but those who were invited were not worthy, 
because they despised the kingdom of God, and abused the 
messengers sent out by the King. Then the King sent his 
soldiers, the Roman army, and in the destruction of Jerusalem, 
put these murderers to death and burned their city. The 
apostles were now sent out into the highways, that is, to the 
heathen nations of the earth, to enroll them as citizens of 
God's kingdom. And they came in countless numbers from 
every land thronging to the wedding-feast of the lamb that 
was slain ; so that to-day there is not a single known nation 
in all the five divisions of the globe which has not its repre^ 



272 THE COIN OF TRIBUTE 

sentative at the wedding-table of Jesus Christ, the holy Roman 
Catholic Church. 

But the niei'e act of sitting at the banquet, the mere outward 
participation in the kingdom of Christ, by baptism and faith, 
is not sufficient ; as the second part of the parable fearfully 
proves. That guest who was so summarily visited with ejec- 
tion and dreadful punishment, had hearkened to the invita- 
tion and obeyed it, had been admitted by the palace-door, 
that is, by baptism, and had taken his place at the supper- 
table. He thus had faith, but alas, no wedding garment; and 
although a guest at God's table, he was rejected. Thus we 
see how indispensably necessary it is to always wear this 
spiritual wedding gai-ment. 

It was the custom in eastern lands, and it still prevails in 
some parts, for wealthy persons to send rich outside garments 
to all the guests whom they invited to their weddings. Such 
garments had evidently been sent by the lord in the parable 
to his invited guests. Yet one of them was careless and for- 
getful, or else thought too much of himself to accept the 
profi'ered article of clothing, or to wear it to the festival. 
According to the universal explanation of commentators, this 
wedding garment is a figure of full and complete justness, that 
is, a righteousness imparted to us through the intervention 
of the sacraments of baptism and penance, and which is, 
therefore, styled the justice of Christ. This justice resulting 
from our union of intention and of action with the spirit and 
example of Jesus Christ, constitutes true innocence and gen- 
uine holiness of life. It is in this sense that St. Gregory the 
Great says: "He who has faith and is devoid of charity, is 
without a wedding garment." St. Irseneus adds: "The wed- 
ding garment is the works of righteousness." 



CHAPTER V 

THE COIN OF TRIBUTE. THE LIFE HEREAFTER. 

THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. JESUS PUTS 

THE PHARISEES TO SHAME AND 

CONDEMNS THEM 

(Tuesday in Holy Week) 

Matt. xxii. 15-23, 39; Mark xii. 13-40; Luke xx. 20-47 

1. The Coin of Tribute. Duties to Authority 
"Then the Pharisees going, consulted amongst themselves 



THE COIN OF TRIBUTE 273 

how to ensnare Jesus in His speech. And being upon watch, 
they sent spies who should feign themselves just. These were 
some of the Pharisees and their disciples, with the Herodians 
—that they might deliver Him up to the authority and power 
of the governor — who, coming, say to Him: Master, we know 
that Thou art a true speaker and carest not for any man ; for 
Thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way 
of God in truth. Tell as, therefore, what dost Thou think, is 
it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not ? But Jesus knowing 
their wiliness and wickedness, said: Why do you tempt Me, 
ye hypocrites? Show Me the coin of the tribute, that I may 
see it. They offered Him a penny. Jesus saith to them: 
Whose image and inscription is this ? They say to Him : 
Cffisar's. Then He saith to them: Render, therefore, to Caesar 
the things that are Cgesar's; and to God, the things that are 
God's. And hearing this, they wondered, and leaving Him, 
went their ways; they held their peace, for they could not 
reprehend His word before the people." 

Here, whilst the answer of our blessed Teacher exhibits 
profound wisdom and a salutary moral lesson applicable to 
all times and circumstances, the Jewish inquirers betray, both 
in their question itself and manner of putting it, the dreadful 
nature of their secret malice. 

Who are these inquisitors? They are disciples of the 
Pharisees and the friends of Herod. The pharisaical scribes 
impel their disciples into the cunning artifice partly to ac- 
custom them early to the practice of falsehood and deceit, and 
partly by an apparent innocence and anxiety of young pupils 
to acquire knowledge, the more certainly to draw out an 
answer from the Saviour. What base trickery ! But this was 
not all their meanness, for they take the Herodians into their 
confidence. The latter were a sect of free-thinking Jews, who, 
for more than half a century, had devoted themselves to the 
fortunes of the royal family of the Herods, and were joined 
with these to lead the Jewish people into unbelief and Roman 
paganism. For this purpose, they furthered the Roman cus- 
toms, encouraged Roman games, upheld and approved, as a 
natural consequence, the rights of majesty, the violent inter- 
meddling of the State in church-affairs, and the application of 
church possessions to civil purposes, and whenever the oppor- 
tunity offered, they helped to abolish the national and re- 
ligious peculiarities of the Jews. Thus the Herodians were 
the enlightened, advanced, pagan-Roman party of the nation ; 



274 THE COIN OF TRIBUTE 

whilst the Pharisees sought to be the patriotic-Je\^ash, old- 
faith, law-abiding party. At present, both of these parties, 
forgetting their mutual hatred and the gulf intervening be- 
tween them, join hands, like loving brothers, in order to 
overthrow the divine Teacher. What madness ! 

Now observe with what hypocrisy the Pharisees and Hero- 
dians propose their question. "Master, we know that Thou art 
a just man, a lover of truth, that Thou speakest and teachest, 
and asketli nothing of any man : for Thou art not a respecter 
of persons, but pointest out the way of God in truth." They 
style Jesus master in order to work themselves into His con- 
fidence, to throw Him off His guard. They praise His fear- 
lessness and independence, in order to entice Him into a rash 
and dangerous assertion, by which He must come into conflict 
either with the government party on the one hand, or with the 
old Jewish opposition party on the other. 

The (juestion proposed was the best they could select for 
their purpose. They calculated that Jesus must either give 
an affirmative answer, and thereby recognize the duty of the 
Jews to pay tribute to the pagan emperor, in which decision 
the Pharisees would find a pretext for denouncing Him to 
the people as their enemy and the friend of Caesar; else He 
must deny the right, and here the Herodians would find cause 
to complain of Him as a disturber among the people, who 
denied the right of the emperor to levy and collect taxes, 
would drag Him before the courts and force Him to be sen- 
tenced as a violator of the rights of royalty. Alas, my loving 
and merciful Lord and Saviour! How Thy heart must have 
bled at this exhibition of mean hatred ! Thou hast come to 
bring peace and God's friendship to all men, and Thou didst 
find enemies arrayed on every side of Thee. Thou hadst come 
to lift the human family from the gloomy depths of sin, and 
here malice was digging pits on all sides of Thee with the 
vain, but no less malicious hope of burying Thee forever in 
their depths. 

But our divine Lord discovering their artifice, sends a 
piercing look through them, and with a few quiet words, 
tears asunder the net in which they would entrap Him. "Ren- 
der to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the 
things that are God's." Foolish men! By the very act of 
recognizing the imperial coin as the currency of the country, 
by receiving and paying it out, as a legal tender, they ad- 
mitted the legality of the imperial government. Hence it fol- 



THE COIN OF TRIBUTE 275 

lows: "Render to CaBsar the things that are Caesar's, and to 
God the things that are God's." Here Christ pronounced a 
universally binding moral precept. For no duty is clearer 
or more certain than that of assisting the civil authority in 
securing to ourselves and our fellow-citizens good govern- 
ment. It is to good government that we are indebted for the 
protection of life and property, for the defense of our rights 
and liberties against foreign and domestic enemies, for the 
protection of commerce, for the maintenance of order and of 
public confidence. Hence it is plainly our duty to observe 
scrupulously every law of the land, and to be willing to lend 
our aid and support in its defense. 

This duty, which is imposed upon all men by the mere law 
of nature, becomes, in a special manner, a religious obliga- 
tion on Christians. For Christ said to His apostles, and 
through them, to all Christians: "Render to Csesar the things 
that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." No 
less plain and emphatic are the words of St. Paul the Apostle : 
"Let every soul be subject to higher powers: for there is no 
power but from God : and those that are, are ordained of God. 
Therefore, he that resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance 
of God. Wherefore, be subject of necessity, not only for 
wrath, but also for conscience' sake. Render, therefore, to all 
men their dues : tribute to whom tribute is due ; custom to 
whom custom ; fear to whom fear ; honor to whom honor. ' ' 

We must not fail to observe here, that Christ and His 
apostles laid down these principles and taught the binding 
elfect of them at a time when all the existing rulers were 
pagans and many of them very wicked men. Hence we may 
infer that the true Christian must not presume to refuse alle- 
giance to the existing government of his country, even if its 
administrators prove derelict in their solemn duty as legis- 
lators. 

2. Conversation of Christ with the Sadducees Concern- 
ing THE Resurrection and the Life to Come 

"And the same day there came to Him the Sadducees who 
say there is no resurrection : and they asked Him saying : 
Master, Moses wrote unto us, that if any man's brother die, 
and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, his 
brother should take his wife and raise up seed to his brother. 
Now there were seven brethren : and the first took a wife, and 
died leaving no issue. And the second took her, and died: 



276 THE COIN OF TRIBUTE 

and neither did he leave any issue. And the third in like 
manner. And the seven all took her in like manner : and did 
not leave issue. Last of all the woman also died. In the 
resurrection therefore, when they shall rise again, whose wife 
shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. And 
Jesus answering saith to them : Do ye not therefore err, be- 
cause you know not the Scriptures, nor the power of God? 
For when they shall rise again from the dead, they shall 
neither marry, nor be married, but are as the angels in heaven. 
The children of this world marry and are given in marriage; 
but they who shall be accounted worthy of that world and 
of the resurrection from the dead, shall neither be married 
nor take wives. Neither can they die any more, for they are 
equal to the angels, and are the children of God, being the 
children of the resurrection. And as concerning the dead 
that they rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, 
how in the bush God spoke to him, saying: I am the God of 
Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He 
is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to 
Him. You therefore do greatly err. 

"And some of the scribes answering, said to Him: Master, 
Thou hast said well : and the multitudes hearing it, were in 
admiration with His doctrine, and after that they durst not 
ask Him any more questions." 

The IMosaic law, here mentioned, was enacted for the com- 
fort of childless widows at a time when childlessness was 
considered a great disgrace, and motherhood a great blessing 
and honor. Moreover, the Sadducees, in their questionings, 
had no other object than to ridicule the doctrines of resur- 
rection and of eternal life. For, thought they, in their would- 
be cunning and attempt at ridicule, if there be a resurrection 
and an eternal life to come, every wife must necessarily be- 
long, in that life, either to one of her first husbands or to all 
together. Both positions would be wrong: in the first case, 
in regard to justice; in the other, to morality. Fools that 
they were ! They could not discover that there was a solution 
to this difficulty in the truth that in eternity the wife would 
belong to no man, for married life will cease after the resur- 
rection. For, as then the number of elect will be completed 
and death shall have been overcome, it will be no longer 
necessary to supply the places of the dead by a new genera- 
tion. Those who will be risen to the new life will resemble 
the angels, being entirely exempt from all desires of the 



THE COIN OF TRIBUTE 277 

flesh, exempt from suffering, immortal, and capable of enjoy- 
ing the beatific vision of God. glorious and happy con- 
dition, in which all misery, all danger, all decay and corrup- 
tion of our body shall have forever ceased, and the glorified 
body of man shall share in the blissful freedom of the soul ! 
great and all-excellent dignity of Christian marriage and 
holy virginity, which, according to the testimony of Christ 
Himself, makes us here below like the angels ; and even in this 
life of slavery, secures a happy freedom for the body. 

3. The Greatest Commandment in the Law 

"The Pharisees hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sad- 
ducees, came together; and one of them, a doctor of the law, 
that had heard them reasoning together, seeing that Jesus 
had answered them well, asked Him, tempting Him: Master, 
which is the great commandment, the first commandment of 
the law ? Jesus answered him : The first commandment of 
all is. Hear, Israel ! the Lord thy God is one God ; and 
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and 
with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy 
whole strength. This is the greatest and the first command- 
ment. And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy 
neighbor as thyself. There is no other commandment greater 
than these. On these two commandments dependeth the whole 
law and the prophets. 

"And the scribes said to Him: Well, Master, Thou hast 
said in truth that there is one God, and there is no other 
besides Him; that He should be loved with the whole heart, 
with the whole understanding, with the whole soul, and with 
the whole strength; and to love one's neighbor as one's self 
is a greater thing than all holocausts and sacrifices. Jesus 
seeing that He had answered wisely, said to him : Thou art 
not far from the kingdom of God." 

There was, in our Saviour's time, among the Jews, much 
violent discussion and disagreement concerning which was the 
greatest and most important of all the commandments. Most 
of them, especially the Pharisees, maintained that a strict 
observance of the law of sacrifice and of other ritualistic regu- 
lations, or the mere external practices of worship, constituted 
man's chief duty to God. Very few had any idea that the 
very life and soul of true religion consists in man's complete 
and freely given love for God, and for his neighbor for God's 



278 THE COIN OF TRIBUTE 

sake: and that the whole outward worship of man to God and 
his obedience to church-discipline are but the mere expression 
of true internal piety and virtue. 

We here witness a very renuirkable paradox, an absurdity 
of much significance even for our own times. The scribes and 
many of the Pharisees had read the Scriptures and studied 
them closely with the view of solving the problem of man's 
life. They knew the hundred and one meanings which their 
great doctors of the law had given of every Bible-passage; 
yes, they could tell to a unit how often each letter of the 
alphabet occurred in the holy book. Yet the true and proper 
spirit of the Bible was, to their minds, an unsolved problem 
or enigma, and they w'ere ignorant of the all-important sense 
and meaning of written revelation. In their wilful blindness, 
they could not see the very source itself of all light, of which 
the precepts of the law and the teachings of the prophets w^ere 
but the radiating gleams. And is not this the case with many 
of the so-called learned men of our times? Their whole life 
is devoted to the pursuit of knowledge. Their restless minds 
burrow and grope through the laws of nature, through the 
mysteries of the human soul, through the imperfect fossil 
remains of an extinct race of men or animals, yet they fail to 
discover or recognize the all-important and necessary truth, 
the veritable origin, center, and end of all created matter — 
God Himself. 

And what constitutes the chief essence and aim of all divine 
law? Supernatural charity; that sacred fire of the heart 
which is kindled at the burning shrine of a believing knowl- 
edge of God, the highest, purest, and most perfect of beings. 

And is not this charity, this supernatural love for God and 
for our neighbor, the most natural and self-explaining, the 
most easily understood of duties ? Must not the human heart 
of a necessity become inflamed with the most ardent and 
admiring love for God, as the soul sees and contemplates His 
infinite beauty and perfection? Can any man look upon the 
goodness, kindness, mercy, and forbearance of his Creator 
without feeling himself compelled to bring to Him the thank- 
offering of a grateful and loving heart ? The reward for such 
love consists in a remission of our sins, in a blissful interior 
peace of mind, in augmented and improved faculties of soul, 
in an indisputable right to the everlasting happiness of 
heaven. Now, can man afford to forego these inestimable 
blessings? And ^vhy is a law required to compel us to do 



THE COIN OF TRIBUTE 279 

what ought to be considered a great privilege and what is 
certainly conducive to our own interests ? Alas ! this is one 
of the consequences of the desolation precipitated upon our 
souls by sin. A thousand deceptive phantoms obtrude them- 
selves upon the mind of man, bewilder his imagination, and 
seek to insinuate themselves into the love of his heart, so that 
in the end there is no desire or room left for eternal truth, the 
only thing worthy of love. 

Therefore man, sensual and worldly creature that he is, must 
be constantly aroused by the voice of thunder from Mount 
Sinai : ' ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole 
heart, with thy whole soul, and with all thy mind, and with 
all thy strength." If the soul but once allow itself to be 
thoroughly aroused by this appeal, stimulated to increased 
solicitude for the preservation of love's fires, if it but make 
an attempt to bury itself in the contemplation of God's in- 
finite beauty and amiable perfections, and to taste the sweet 
joy of loving God, such a law would be come at once super- 
fluous ; for the love of God would soon become its most press- 
ing want, its greatest delight, the sweetest and most exclusive 
business of its existence, so that it would cry out with St. 
Augustine: "Why, O Lord, dost Thou command me to love 
thee? Would it not be more than I deserve to be permitted 
to love Thee? Thou dost threaten with much misery him 
who will not love Thee, as if there could be any misery greater 
than the misery of not loving Thee ! Yes, I shall ever love 
Thee, beauty without beginning or end. Alas, how late I 
am, how tardy in beginning to love Thee. Why am I unable 
to love Thee as Thou dost desire and deserve to be loved?" 

The holy Scriptures teach us that we must love God with all 
our heart and with all our soul, with all our mind and with 
all our strength. This repetition of words of apparently 
similar meaning contains the impressive warning that heavenly 
love must embrace, enliven, and inflame our whole existence 
and essence. We must love God with our whole heart, that 
is, all the power of our will must be directed toward God. 
In Him we should seek all our pleasures and peace of body 
and mind, and combat and defeat, for love of Him, every 
temptation to sin. We must love God with our whole soul, 
that is, all our power of knowing should be consecrated to 
God ; intellect, reason, memory, should be all employed to dis- 
cover and express the amiability of our Lord and God. We 
must love God with all our mind, that is, our whole faculty of 



280 THE COIN OF TRIBUTE 

sense should be made subservient to heavenly love, so that we 
may give ourselves up with all the confidence and abandon of 
children to the best of Fathers. We must love God with all 
our strength. That means we must employ the whole of our 
physical being as an instrument of the loving soul to give 
expression to internal love by means of works of godliness, 
to the glory of our heavenly Father and to the spiritual ad- 
vantage of our fellow-creatures. Every true Christian should 
have this one aim in view, as his sublimest and only necessary 
object in life ; God, that is, the glory of God, perfect unison 
with the will of God, and future happiness in God. Then, 
and then only, will his love be, as it should be, embracing his 
whole being. Wherever this love prevails in a human soul, 
then the law is fulfilled, because then the whole outer and 
inner man has become an instrument to do God's will. And 
where this love does not exist, all else is of no value before 
God for eternity. Hence St. Paul says: "If I speak with the 
tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am 
become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal ; and if I 
should have prophecy, and should know all m.ysteries, and all 
knowledge: and if I should have all faith, so that I could 
remove mountains, and have not chai'ity, I am nothing. And 
if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if 
I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, 
it profiteth me nothing." 

Love for our neighbor is contained and implied, as a neces- 
sary consequence, in love for our God. And if our divine 
Teacher speaks of this love for our fellow-man, as a second 
commandment like unto the first. He does so for a threefold 
purpose : in the first place, to express the intimate connection 
and inseparableness of love for God with love for our fellow- 
man, also to remove a dangerous misunderstanding, to combat 
the errors of the Pharisees, who held that a man was not to 
be troubled at the adversity of his neighbor, and finally, to 
show us that in loving our fellow-man we have the only sure 
test that we love God, as explained by the evangelist St. John : 
"If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is 
a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he seeth, how 
can he love God whom he seeth not?" 

In the command to love our neighbor, three things become 
a matter of duty: first, that we esteem every man for what- 
ever of God is in him ; secondly, that we sympathize in his wel- 
fare or misfortune ; thirdly, that we assist him to obtain both 



THE COIN OF TRIBUTE 281 

temporal and spiritual happiness in proportion to his neces- 
sities and in accordance with our own means and ability. 
What a beautiful and true description St. Paul gives us of 
this virtue of charity ! ' ' Charity is patient, is kind : Charity 
envieth not, dealeth not perversely, is not puffed up, is not 
ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, 
thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with 
the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all 
things, endureth all things. Charity never falleth away: 
whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, 
or knowledge shall be destroyed." 

Such love of one 's neighbor springs from the very love that 
we have for God. For, if I love the triune God, my Lord and 
Creator in heaven, how could I despise or dislike His image 
on earth? If I love the heavenly Father, how can I be in- 
different to His child? If I love Him, who in His infinite 
love and mercy for the human family, poured out His blood 
upon the cross, how can I hate the members of that family, 
every one of whom He loved and made a sharer in His bleed- 
ing sacrifice? If I love the King of the heavenly realm, how 
can I despise those whom He has called to be companions and 
fellow-rulers in His celestial kingdom. One duty can not be 
separated from the other. 

Therefore, Christian reader, preserve and practice scrupu- 
lously, not only love for God, but also the sacred duty of loving 
your neighbor. Keep alive in your heart the double-tongued 
flame of charity for Creator and creature. As your Father 
in heaven maketh the sun to shine upon the good and the 
bad, so let your eye beam with affection, your heart glow with 
kindness, and your hand be generously extended to friend 
and foe, so that you may, at the time of reckoning all things, 
be found perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. 

4. Jesus, the Son of David and the Son of God 

"And the Pharisees being gathered together, Jesus, teach- 
ing in the temple, asked them: What think you of Christ? 
Whose son is He? They said to Him: David's. Whereupon 
He answering, said : How do the scribes say that Christ is the 
Son of David? For David himself saith, by the Holy Ghost, 
in the Book of Psalms : The Lord said to My Lord : Sit Thou 
on My right hand, until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool. 
David, therefore, calleth Him Lord; and whence is He then 
his Son? And no man was able to answer Him a word. 



282 THE COIN OF TRIBUTE 

Neither durst any man from that day forth ask Him any more 
questions; and a great multitude heard Him gladly." 

For never had they listened to such a Teacher. How pru- 
dently He had replied to the crafty questionings of the 
Herodians concerning the coin of tribute ! How aptly and 
gently He reproved and corrected the unbelieving Sadducees, 
and refuted their objections to the doctrine of the resurrec- 
tion ! And tinally, when the Pharisees attempted to implicate 
Him in difficulty by propounding the most exciting question 
of the time, how wise and safe was His decision ! Hence the 
multitude looked with wonder and with believing reverence 
on the great Teacher who had put to shame and reduced to 
silence the Herodians, Sadducees, and Pharisees successively 
and successfully. 

But this faith is not sufficient. Jesus is incomparably more 
and greater than a wise Teacher. He is the Son of God. 
And He endeavors now to engage the attention of the people 
to this mystery of His divinity by asking the question : "What 
think you of Christ : whose Son is He?" Our Lord had previ- 
ously proposed a similar question to His apostles: "Whom do 
3'ou say that I am?" It was then that Peter was inspired 
from heaven, and replied : ' ' Thou art Christ, the Son of the 
living God." This answer even the Pharisees might have 
made, had they but glanced at the 109th Psalm. For in this 
passage of Scripture the Messias is designated not only as 
David's Lord, but also as the consubstantial, only begotten 
Son of the eternal Father. "From the womb, before the 
day-star, I begot Thee." But the worldly minded creatures 
could not or would not ascend to this sublime height of faith, 
and comprehended in the Messias only the human nature as 
David 's Son, and not His more exalted nature and dignity of 
Son of God. 

Consider here the dreadful guilt and malice of the scribes 
and Pharisees. They had made the reading and examination 
of the Scriptures the special work of their lives, and required 
the people to recognize them as their moral advisers and in- 
structors, and hence had assumed entire and exclusive re- 
sponsibility for the religious opinions of the people. And 
now, when the long-expected Messias had come, when the 
prophecies of the books of Moses, of the Psalmist, and of the 
other prophets, have all been verified in Him in the clearest 
and plainest manner, these self-appointed teachers stand in 
silence, hesitation, and unbelief, before the veritable Messias, 



THE COIN OF TRIBUTE 283 

and by their evil example, induce the people who were dis- 
posed to believe, to the denial and rejection of their Redeemer. 

5. He Threatens the Scribes and Pharisees 

' ' Then Jesus spoke to the multitude, who heard Him gladly, 
and to His disciples, and said to them in His doctrine: The 
scribes and the Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses. 
All things, therefore, whatsoever they shall say to you, ob- 
serve and do ; but according to their works do ye not, for they 
say and do not. They bind insupportable burdens and lay 
them on men 's shoulders ; but with a finger of their own they 
will not move them. And all their works they do for to be 
seen of men. For they make plylacteries broad, and enlarge 
their fringes. They love the first places at feasts, and the 
first chairs in the synagogues, and salutations in the market- 
place, and to be called by men. Rabbi. Who devour the 
houses of widows under the pretence of long prayer. These 
shall receive greater judgment, but be not you," added the 
divine Master, then directing His discourse to the disciples 
alone, "be not you called Rabbi; for one is your master, and 
all you are brethren. And call none your father upon earth ; 
for one is your father who is in heaven ; neither be ye called 
masters, for one is your master, Christ." 

' ' He that is greatest among you shall be your servant : and 
whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled, and he that 
shall humble himself, shall be exalted." 

"Beware of the scribes and Pharisees who love to walk in 
long robes and to be saluted in the market-place, and to sit in 
the first chairs of the synagogue and to have the highest places 
at suppers, who devour the houses of widows under the hypo- 
critical pretence of long prayer." 

"Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: because you 
shut the kingdom of heaven against men, for yourselves do 
not enter in and those that are going in, you suffer not to 
enter. ' ' 

"Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: because 
you devour the houses of widows, praying long prayers. For 
this you shall receive the greater judgment." 

"Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because 
you go round about the sea and the land to make one prose- 
lyte; and when he is made, you make him the child of hell 
twofold more than yourselves. Wo to you, blind guides, 
who say : Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing : 



284 THE COIN OF TRIBUTE 

but he that shall swear by the g:old of the temple, is a debtor. 
Ye foolish and blind ; for whether is it greater, the gold, or 
the temple which sanetifieth the gold? And whosoever shall 
swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear 
by the gift upon it, is a debtor. Ye blind ; for whether is 
greater, the gift, or the altar that sanetifieth the gift? He, 
therefore, that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by 
all things that are upon it; whosoever shall swear by the 
temple, sweareth by it, and by Him that dwelleth in it; and 
he that sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, 
and by Him that sitteth thereon. Wo to you, scribes and 
Pharisees, hypocrites; because you tithe mint, and anise, and 
cunnnin, and ha^'e left the weightier things of the law: judg- 
ment, and mercy, and faith. These things you ought to have 
done, and not leave those undone. Blind guides, you strain at 
a gnat and swallow a camel." 

' ' Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ; because you 
make clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within 
you are full of extortion and uncleanness. Thou blind 
Pharisee, first make clean the inside of the cup and of the 
dish, that the outside may become clean. Wo to you, scribes 
and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like the whited 
sepulchers, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but 
within are full of dead men's bones, and of all filthiness. So 
you also outwardly, indeed, appear to men just; but within 
you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." 

"Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; who build 
the sepulchers of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of 
the just, and say : If we had been in the days of our fathers, 
we would not have been partakers with them in the blood 
of the prophets. Wherefore you are witnesses against your- 
selves, that you are the sons of them who killed the prophets. 
Fill ye up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, 
generation of vipers, how will you flee from the judgment of 
hell ? Therefore behold I send to you prophets, and wise men, 
and scribes : and some of them you will put to death, and 
crucify : and some you will scourge in your synagogues, and 
persecute from city to city: that upon you may come all the 
just blood that hath been shed upon the earth, from the blood 
of Abel the just, even unto the blood of Zacharias the son 
of Barachias, whom you killed between the temple and the 
altar. Amen I say to you all these things shall come upon 
this generation, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the 



THE COIN OF TRIBUTE 285 

prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often 
would I have gathered together thy children, as the hen doth 
gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldst not? 
Behold, your house shall be left to you, desolate. For I say to 
you, you shall not see Me henceforth till you say : Blessed is 
He that cometh in the name of the Lord." 

From this scathing and unsparing reprimand with which 
the otherwise mild and gentle Saviour scourged the scribes 
and Pharisees in the presence of the assembled multitude, 
we may infer that the laAv of charity, although decidedly pro- 
nounced by Christ to be the fundamental law of His kingdom, 
does not altogether exclude the rigorous exercise of severe 
chastisement. Stiff-necked malice — such malice as, under the 
pretence of magnanimity, self-righteousness, and zeal for the 
law, imperil the salvation, by poisoning the faith and good 
will of the unsuspecting people, leading them to perdition — 
that such malice must be unmasked and rendered harmless. 
Hence the Saviour unmasks now, as He had done some months 
previously, and in the most positive and unsparing language, 
these deceivers of the Jewish people, who, by arbitrary prin- 
ciples and rigorous interpretation of the Mosaic law, em- 
barrassed the believing people, whilst allowing to themselves 
in secret the most criminal disregard of that same law. The 
sacred dignity of the office of teacher with which these un- 
worthy men were clothed, naturally drew forth the respect 
and esteem of the common people, owing to the veneration 
entertained by these people for ancient customs and traditions, 
secured their complete submission to the pretended upholders 
and defenders of these laws. These proud and unprincipled 
teachers shall now, however, be exposed to the people, so as 
to be no longer able to deprive them of salvation in Christ 
the Saviour. 

Hence Christ pronounces, in contradistinction to the eight 
beatitudes of the good, the eight woes so justly merited by the 
scribes and Pharisees. Wo to them ! for they despise the 
kingdom of truth and grace in Christ, not only to their own 
destruction, but by their influence hold the people back from 
its acceptance. Wo to them! because the lengthy, spiritless 
prayers on their lips have no higher object than to extort 
abundant offerings from the simple people. Wo to them ! 
because their efforts at converting souls are directed, not to 
the promotion of God's glory, but to the heightening of their 
own reputation and the swelling of the coffers of the temple, 



286 THE WIDOW'S MITE 

and thus, by their bad example, confirming unbelievers in 
their persistency. Wo to them! because their inordinate de- 
sire to increase the revenues of the temple, leads them to 
trifle with the sacredness of solemn oaths. Wo to them ! 
because they are concerned only for the letter of the law and 
not for its spirit, and affect to consider ceremonial ordinances, 
prescribed for times and circumstances long since passed 
away, as of more importance than the eternal law of morals. 
Wo to them ! because they, by their outward bodily afflictions 
and ostentatious observance of the law, dispense themselves 
from the duty of internal purity and holiness of life. Wo 
to them ! because, like whitened sepulchers, they present them- 
selves to the people as hypocrites — as being what, in reality, 
they are not. Wo to them finally ! because they erected 
memorials to the murdered prophets, at the same time that 
they were plotting the death of the greatest of all the prophets. 
They trifled with the time of visitation and rejected the 
Messias, and together with Him the calling and selection and 
salvation of the Hebrew nation. 

However, toward the end of the world, their descendants 
will at last be converted and embrace the faith of Him who 
will then come as the Judge of the living and the dead. For 
it is so written in the prophecy of Osee: "For the children 
of Israel shall sit many days without king, and without prince, 
and without sacrifice, and without altar, and without ephod. 
and without theraphim ; and after this the children of Israel 
shall return, and shall seek the Lord their God, and David 
their king: and they shall fear the Lord, and His goodness in 
the last days. ' ' 



CHAPTER VI 



THE WIDOW'S MITE. THE DESTRUCTION OF 
JERUSALEM. THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 

(Tuesday in Holy Week) 
Matt. xxiv. 1-41; Mark xii. 41; xiii. 32; Luke xxi. 1-33 

It was the evening of Tuesday, in the week of His holy 
passion. He had returned from the temple, after spending 
the whole day in refuting the errors and rebuking the malice 



THE WIDOW'S MITE 287 

of the Jews, and noAv having gone out from the city, He was 
sitting, surrounded by His disciples, on Mount Olivet, directly 
opposite to the temple. Here fell from His sacred lips that 
appalling prediction of Jerusalem's punishment and of the 
last judgment, which is read every year from the altar for 
the people's instruction and meditation, on the last Sunday 
of the ecclesiastical year and on the first Sunday of Advent. 

1. The Widow's Mite 

Before reviewing this awful picture of ruin and desolation, 
let us listen awhile to the holy evangelists, Mark and Luke, 
who present us with a lovely and touching subject for our 
admiration and study— the offering made in the temple by the 
poor widow. 

"And Jesus sitting over against the treasury, beheld how 
the people cast money into the treasviry, and many that were 
rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, 
and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing. And call- 
ing His disciples together, He saith to them : Amen I say to 
you, this poor widow hath cast in more than all they who 
have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their 
abundance ; but she, of her want, cast in all she had, even her 
whole living." 

The offerings deposited by the people in the contribution- 
box of the temple were devoted to the support of the priests, 
the maintenance of divine service, and to the relief of the 
poor. And as it is to-day a pious and praiseworthy custom 
to show our thankfulness to God for the blessings of public 
worship by making offerings in proportion to our means, in 
order to keep up the worship of God, His house, and His 
ministers, so too were the Jews in the habit of making an 
offering of gold each time that they went to the temple. 

It is laudable for persons of means to give alms in this or 
some similar way. For Christ really and truly accepts what- 
ever is offered for the maintenance of religion or the relief 
of the poor, just as if it were offered personally to Himself. 
And the words of the devout and generous Tobias, "Alms 
deliver from all sin, and from death, and will not suffer the 
soul to go into darkness" Toh. iv. 11), are ever true for all 
men and for all circumstances and for all times. When, there- 
fore, the rich man, for God's sake and with modest discretion, 
deprives Himself of a portion of His wealth for the benefit 
of His Church, or in aid of the poor, He performs a laudable 



288 CHRIST FORETELLS 

and salutary act. But why do we say: For God's sake and 
with modest discretion? Because many persons make large 
donations in order to attract the admiration of the world and 
to acquire, by their ostentatious liberality, the plaudits of their 
fellow-men. It is sad to think and to know that not one cent 
of such donations will be entered to their credit on the book 
of eternal rewards. On the contrary, the selfish and interested 
giver will hear on the last day the dismal words: "Verily, 
thou hast had thy reward." Others there are, too, who give 
freely and cheerfully, but who never think to give their alms 
with regard to God, or for love of Christ. They give without 
reflection, and just because the wants of their fellow-men 
awake their sympathy. How sad for the gifts of such gener- 
ous-hearted people ! Certainly our heavenly Father will not 
suft'er their benevolence to go unrewarded, but their actions 
have no value for eternity, for they are not done for God's 
sake. Let the rich, therefore, if they would have their acts 
meritorious and pleasing in the eyes of heaven, make their 
offerings for God and out of love for Him alone; then will 
temporal reward be granted in this life, as well as eternal 
compensation hereafter. 

How much more laudable and louehiug are the offerings of 
the poor! The laborer who takes from his hard-earned and 
scanty wages an offering for the Church, or an alms for the 
poor; the servant-girl, who, forgetting her own wants, is 
happy to decorate the altar, or to clothe a poor person; the 
artless child who foregoes his toy and his sweets in order, for 
Jesus' sake, to place his pennies in the trembling hand of a 
beggar; such spectacles are truly sublime and ennobling. 
Spectacles worthy of the glorious days of primitive Christi- 
anity, when a holy pope, Clement, said to the poor: "And if 
you have no means of giving alms, fast and then share with 
the saints what was intended for yourselves." blessed are 
such poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

2. Christ Foretells the Destruction of the Temple 

"Jesus being come out of the temple, went away. His dis- 
ciples came to show Him the buildings of the temple: and 
some saying of the temple that it was adorned with goodly 
stones and gifts, one of His disciples saith to Him : Master, 
behold what manner of stones and what buildings are here. 
Jesus answering, said to them: Do you see all these things? 
all these great buildings? Amen I say to you, the days will 



THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE 289 

come in which there shall not be left here a stone upon a 
stone that shall not be thrown down." 

History bears testimony to the exact fulfilment of this 
prophecy of our Lord, and relates the complete destruction of 
this doomed temple. The Roman general Titus would have 
gladly saved the temple— for it was a splendid masterpiece 
of beauty, strength, and elegance. He accordingly gave orders 
to his soldiers that, in plundering and sacking the city, they 
should spare the sacred edifice. One of them, however, dis- 
regarding, or, in his excitement forgetting his commander's 
orders, threw a burning torch into the sacred building, which 
set it on fire. The struggle in the immediate vicinity of the 
temple was so violent and exciting, that no one discovered 
the fire till it was too late to get it extinguished. Three hun- 
dred years later, the Roman emperor, Julian the Apostate, 
wishing to contradict the prophecy of Christ and the pre- 
diction of Daniel, that the temple would remain a ruin for- 
ever, announced to the Jews scattered throughout his empire 
that the time had come for the restoration of their temple ; 
telling them that he himself would help the work by con- 
tributing money and skillful workmen. The Jews flocked from 
all quarters, bringing munificent supplies of money and ma- 
terial to further the emperor's designs. The Jewish women 
gave their jewelry and costly ornaments, and some of the 
wealthiest and most refined among them were seen every day 
drawing building-stone with their own hands. Meanwhile the 
Christians dwelling in Jerusalem were subjected to gross 
indignities and mockeries on the part of the elated Jews. 
St. Cyril, who was then the devout and exemplary bishop of 
that see, looked with calmness and confidence upon these vast 
preparations, and consoled the Christians by quietly and con- 
fidently calling their attention to the words of Christ in the 
holy gospel. The trenches were now open, the new founda- 
tions were ready to be laid next morning, and the Jews already 
began to triumph. Suddenly there burst forth from the 
bowels of the earth a flaming torrent of fire which dislodged 
the stones, melted the iron implements, and burnt the work- 
men to cinders. At every attempt on the part of new hands 
to renew the work, a similar disaster occurred, till the work 
was finally abandoned. The ruins of the temple remain to 
this day, without one stone upon another — a permanent wit- 
ness to the truthfulness of Him who said not a stone would 
be left upon a stone which would not be destroyed. 



290 THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM 

3. The Six Signs Portending the Destruction of Jerusa- 
lem. The General Judgment 

The apostles, joining in their minds all these prophetic 
words just heard from the mouth of their divine Master, with 
all His previous predictions about the destruction of Jerusa- 
lem, the end of the world, and the last judgment, supposed 
that these three great events were to take place at an early 
day. They eagerly inquired of Jesus when these things would 
come to pass and what would be the premonitory signs. Our 
Lord, adapting Himself to their powers of comprehension, 
gave them an explanation of the signs that would precede the 
destruction of Jerusalem, and of those that are to occur just 
before the end of the world. Then, for the first time, He 
mentions in particidar the chastisements in store for the 
deicide city, and concludes with a description of the last judg- 
ment. The evangelist gives His words: 

"And as Jesus sat on the Mount of Olivet, over against the 
temple, the disciples came to Him privately; and Peter, and 
James, and John, and Andrew, asked Him apart, saying: 
Master, tell us when all these things shall be, and what shall 
be the sign when all those things shall begin to be fulfilled, 
what shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the consummation 
of the world? 

"Jesus answering, said: Take heed, lest any man seduce 
you: for many will come in My name, saying: I am Christ; 
and the time is at hand. They will seduce many; go ye not, 
therefore, after them. 

"When you shall hear of wars and seditions and rumors of 
wars, be not terrified. These things must first come to pass, 
but the end is not yet presently. Then He said to them: 
Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against king- 
dom. There shall be great earthquakes in divers places, and 
pestilences and famines, and terrors from heaven, and there 
shall be great signs. Now all these things are the beginnings 
of sorrows. 

"But take heed, for before all these things they will lay 
their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to 
the synagogues and into prisons. Look to yourselves, for they 
shall deliver you up to councils, and in the synagogues you 
shall be beaten, and you shall stand before governors and 
kings for My sake, for a testimony unto them. Lay it up, 
therefore, in your hearts, when they shall lead you and deliver 
you up, not to meditate before how you shall answer; but 



THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM 291 

whatsoever shall be given ye in that hour speak ye. For I 
shall give you a mouth and wisdom which all your enemies 
shall not be able to resist and gainsay; for it is not you that 
speak, but the Holy Ghost. 

' ' You shall be betrayed by your parents and brethren, and 
kinsmen and friends, and some of you will they put to death. 
And the brother shall betray his brother unto death, and the 
father his son. And the children shall rise up against the 
parents, and shall work their death, and you shall be hated 
by all men for My name's sake. Then shall many be scandal- 
ized, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall seduce many, 
and because iniquity hath abounded, the charity of many 
shall grow cold; but he that shall persevere to the end, he 
shall be saved. But a hair of your head shall not perish. In 
your patience you shall possess your souls. This gospel of 
the kingdom shall be preached to the whole world, for a testi- 
mony to all nations ; and then shall the consummation come. ' ' 

As already stated, our Lord describes in these words both 
events together ; the ominous signs preceding the chastisement 
of Jerusalem, and the premonitory signs of the general judg- 
ment at the last day. They are related as being six in 
number. 

In the first place, false prophets and impostors will rise up, 
declaring themselves to be the Messias; deceiving many by 
their artful speeches and magical works. This prophecy is 
confirmed in the Acts of the Apostles and by the Jewish 
historian Josephus; for soon after the death of Christ a cer- 
tain Theudas, a Jew from Egypt, appeared on the banks of 
the river Jordan, and even in Jerusalem itself, and gathered 
around him 4000 followers, whom he conducted into the 
desert; the son of the Galilean rebel Judas, known as Mena- 
hem, who, in the year 66, rose up against the king of Jerusa- 
lem. The best known among these impostors was Simon 
Magus, who gathered disciples about him in Judea and Rome, 
proclaiming himself to be the Word of God and the Promised 
One. Such were the signs preceding the destruction of Je- 
rusalem. But at the end of time, before the universal judg- 
ment, false Christs shall appear, who, by the inscrutable 
permission of Providence, shall, by the aid of Satan, perform 
most wonderful prodigies, so that even the elect shall be de- 
ceived. And yet all these impostors are but the forerunners 
of the most cursed one of all, Antichrist, of whom St. Paul 



292 THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM 

thus writes in his second epistle to the Thessalonians: "A 
revolt must first come," that is, a great and general falling 
away from God, "and the man of sin be revealed, the son of 
perdition, Avho opposeth and is lifted up above all that is 
called God, or that is worshipped, so that he sitteth in the 
temple of God. shewing himself, as if he were God. This 
wicked one the Lord Jesus shall kill with the spirit of his 
mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming, 
him whose coming is according to the working of Satan, in 
all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and all seduction of 
iniquity to them that perish, because they received not the 
love of the truth that they might be saved. Therefore, God 
shall send them the operation of error, to believe lying" 
{lliess. ii.). 

In the second place, there was to be, just before the fall of 
Jerusalem, much talk of conflicts and rebellions, and rumors 
of war; kingdom was to rise against kingdom, and nation 
against nation. All these things were verified to the letter, 
after the death of Christ. EveryAvhere the Gentiles rose up 
against the Jews dwelling in their countries and put them to 
death, as was the case in Alexandria, CiKsarea, Ptolemais, Tyre, 
and several other localities. Among themselves, now one Jew- 
ish state, and now another, rebelled against the Roman power, 
and during the thirty years preceding their final overthrow, 
there were continual warrings between the Jews and the 
Samaritans, Syrians and Romans. In much larger propor- 
tions, will similar occurrences precede the last judgment, as 
the prophet Azarias had foretold in the days of King Asa, 
900 years before Christ: ''Many days shall pass in Israel 
without the true God, and without a priest or teacher, and 
without the law. At that time there shall be no peace, but 
terrors on every side among all the inhabitants of the earth. 
For nation shall fight against nation, and city against city, for 
the Lord will trouble them with all distress" (Paralipom. xv.). 

In the third place, our divine Lord foretold pestilence, 
famine, and earthquakes as about to come before the fall of 
Jerusalem. Pestilence and famine, as the ordinary conse- 
quences of all war, did follow closely in the wake of the wars 
mentioned above. And the Acts of the Apostles speak of a 
great famine having come upon the earth, in the time of 
Claudius, about twelve years after the death of Christ, and 
by which Palestine was especially afflicted. Moreover, we 
read of several earthquakes, especially in Asia Minor, during 



THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM 293 

the reigns of Claudius and Nero. Similar, but much more 
dreadful and widespread earthquakes, plagues, and famines 
will ravage the earth in the days preceding the last judg- 
ment. "Howl ye," exclaims the prophet Isaias, "for the 
day of the Lord is near, it shall come as a destruction from 
the Lord. Therefore shall all hands be faint and every heart 
of man shall melt, and shall be broken. Gripings and pains 
shall take hold of men, they shall be in pain as a woman in 
labor. Every one shall be amazed at his neighbor, for their 
countenances shall be as faces burnt. Behold the day of the 
Lord shall come, a cruel day and full of indignation and of 
wrath, to lay the land desolate and to destroy sinners." 

In the fourth place, according to the prophetic words of 
Christ, there were to be signs in the heavens proclaiming the 
destruction of the Jewish capital. These words were verified ; 
for we read in the above mentioned Josephus, himself a Jew, 
that a sword-shaped light was visible for a whole year in the 
sky above Jerusalem ; and that on the feast of the Passover, 
just one year before the assault of the Roman army, a strange 
and very bright light surrounded the temple and the altar, 
making night as bright as day, and lasting six months. He 
also speaks of the rumbling of chariot-wheels, and the tramp 
of armies distinctly heard and seen in the air a few days 
before the breaking out of hostilities. As to the signs in the 
heavens previous to the general judgment, the prophet Ezekiel 
had already foretold in the inspired words : " I will move the 
heavens previous to the general judgment, the prophet Ezekiel 
day of wrath is come. And I will cover the heavens, and I 
will make the stars thereof dark : I will cover the sun with a 
cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. ' ' 

Fifthly, our Saviour alludes to the frightful persecution 
to be directed against the Church previous to the city's over- 
throw. This prediction was really and sadly verified in blood. 
With diabolical hatred, Jews and Gentiles fell upon the 
messengers and adherents of the Crucified Jesus, and raging 
enemies and false friends, intrigue, violence, mockery, fire 
and sword were all engaged in compassing the destruction of 
Christianity. And only two years after the death of the 
cruel tyrant Nero, Jerusalem was in ruins. At the end of 
time, that is, in the days of Antichrist, the same violent 
hatred, so cruelly manifested toward the Church by the Jews 
and pagans of old, will be renewed with still greater fierce- 
ness and power. 



294 THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM 

Finally, Christ asserts that Jenisnlein sliall be destroyed, 
when "this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached to all 
the nations of the earth." In other words, the new kingdom 
of God in Christ must first sink firmly its foundation among 
Jews, Romans, Greeks, and barbarians, before the sanctuary 
at Jerusalem shall be laid in ruins. And so it happened 
For, even at that time, some seven or eight years before the 
fall of Jerusalem, St. Paul could declare, in his letter to the 
Colossians : "The truth of the gospel is come into the whole 
world, and bringeth forth fruit and groweth." 

This prophecy refers also, of course, and in the more literal 
sense, to the last years of the world, when there will be no 
nation on the earth to which the gospel shall not have been 
preached. 

4. The Predictions Relating to the Destruction of 
Jerusalem 

Our divine Saviour, after having thus answered the in- 
quiries of His apostles concerning the premonitory signs of 
the destruction of Jerusalem and of the last judgment, now 
proceeds to speak of the actual destruction of the doomed 
city. 

"But when you shall see Jerusalem compassed about with 
an army, then know that the desolation thereof is at hand. 
WTien, therefore, you shall see the abomination of desolation 
which was spoken by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy 
place, where it ought not to stand, he that readeth let him 
understand, then they that are in Judea, let them flee to the 
mountains, and he who is in the city let him depart out of it, 
and those who are in the countries not enter into it. Let 
him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor 
enter therein to take anything out of the house, and let him 
that shall be in the field not turn back to take his coat. 

"For these are the days of vengeance that all things may 
be fulfilled that are written. But wo to them that are with 
child, and give suck in those days, for there shall be great 
distress in the land and wrath upon this people. They shall 
fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive 
into all nations. Pray that your flight be not in the winter, 
or on the Sabbath ; for in those days shall be such tribulations, 
distress in the land and wrath upon this people, such as were 
not from the beginning of the creation which God created, 
until now, neither shall be. And they shall fall by the edge 



THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM 295 

of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations, 
and Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles : till 
the times of the nations be fulfilled. And unless the Lord had 
shortened the days, no flesh should be saved ; but for the sake 
of the elect, he hath shortened the days. Then, if any man 
shall say to you : Lo, here is Christ ; lo, He is here : do not 
believe. For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, 
and they shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to 
deceive, if possible, even the elect. Take you heed, therefore : 
behold, I have foretold you all things. If, therefore, they 
shall say to you : Behold, he is in the desert, go ye not out : 
Behold, he is in the closet; believe it not: for, as lightning 
Cometh out of the east and appeareth even into the west; so 
shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Wheresoever the 
body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together. ' ' 

The historians of the fall of Jerusalem bear testimony that 
those prophetic words of Christ were verified to the letter. 
During the siege, in the year 70, famine, pestilence, and the 
internal conflicts between different factions within the un- 
fortunate city prevailed to such an extent, that nearly 
600,000 -dead bodies of the starved, slain, or victims of the 
plague, were thrown over the walls ; while more than 500,000 
came to their death either by the storming or other accidents 
of war, and 100,000 were sold publicly, part of whom were 
condemned to work for life in the mines, and the other part 
sent to Rome as food for the wild animals of the amphi- 
theaters. 

Our Saviour foretold not only the actual destruction of 
their city, but also the lasting and blighting curse, their per- 
petual banishment and subjection, which would pursue the 
Jews till the time appointed for their conversion. When, 
sixty years after their complete subjugation, the Jews again 
rose in rebellion against their Roman conquerors, over 
500,000 were slain, and those who survived were permitted, 
by paying a fine, to visit the ruins of their once beautiful city, 
only once a year, for the purpose of giving vent to their grief 
in tears and groans. And so these people, thenceforth scat- 
tered over the earth, have continued to be constant objects of 
distrust and aversion, often of violent hatred. 

And so the Jews are to-day strangers among the nations. 
Once they preferred a highway robber named Barabbas to 
Christ, and now behold the dreadful penalty of their choice ; 
the fate of the highwayman is theirs, hunted down, compelled 



296 THE END OF THE WORLD 

to wander adrift aUmg the highways of the nations, afraid 
to return to their home, bearing a felon's brand on their very 
features. 

5. The Predictions Relating to the End of the World. 
The Last Judgment 

To the prophecy of the subversion of Jerusalem, our 
Saviour immediately adds a description of the destruction of 
the earth, though, of course, centuries are to intervene between 
the two events. According to the words of the Psalmist, a 
thousand years are but a day before the Lord, and the two 
events are so closely identiiied. that the chastisement sent 
upon Jerusalem and its people is a true and striking figure 
of divine chastisement on the last day. 

"And inunediately after the tribulation of those days, there 
shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars : 
and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the con- 
fusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves : men wither- 
ing away for fear and expectation of what shall come upon 
the whole world. The sun shall be dafkened and the moon 
shall not give her light, the stars shall fall from heaven, and 
the powers of heaven shall be moved. 

"Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; 
then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall 
see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with much 
power and majesty. And He shall send his angels with a 
trumpet and a great voice; and they shall gather together 
His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of the 
heavens to the utmost bounds of them. But when these things 
begin to come to pass, look and lift up your heads, because 
your redemption is at hand. 

"And He spoke to them a similitude: See the tig-tree, and 
all the trees. Of the fig-tree learn a parable. When the branch 
thereof is now tender and the leaves are come forth, when they 
now shoot forth their fruit, you know that summer is nigh ; so 
you also, when you shall see these things come to pass, know 
that the kingdom of CJod is at hand, before the door. Amen 
I say to you, this generation shall not pass away till these 
things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but 
I\Iy word shall not pass away. But of the day or hour no 
man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but 
the Father. 

"Take heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when the 



THE END OF THE WORLD 297 

time is. Take heed to yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts be 
over-charged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the cares 
of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly. 

"As the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son 
of man be. For, as in the days before the flood, they were 
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even 
till that day in which Noe entered into the ark, and they 
knew not till the flood came and took them all away, so also 
shall the coming of the Son of man be. Then two shall be in 
the field ; one shall be taken and one shall be left. Two women 
shall be grinding at the mill ; one shall be taken, and one shall 
be left." 

From this prophecy, according to which, the end of the 
world was to follow "immediately after the tribulation of 
those days," that is, the destruction of Jerusalem, many con- 
cluded that this awful event, the destruction of the earth, 
would happen in a very few years. But as year succeeded 
year, and the prediction was not fulfilled, several malicious 
scoffers arose, even in the lifetime of St. Peter, and ridiculed 
the Christians, saying : ' ' Where is the promise of His coming ? 
for since the time that the fathers slept, all things continue as 
they were from the beginning of the creation. ' ' 

But the prince of the apostles replied to these scoffers that 
"one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thou- 
sand years as one day. The Lord delayeth not His promise, 
as some imagine, but dealeth patiently for your sake, not 
willing that any should perish, but that all should return to 
penance. But the day of the Lord shall come as a thief, in 
which the heavens shall pass away with great violence, and 
the elements shall be melted with heat, and the earth and the 
works which are in it shall be burnt up. But we, according 
to His promises, look for new heavens and a new earth, in 
which justice dwelleth" (2 Peter, iii.). 

The ancient prophets often speak in the same manner of 
the Messias, as He Himself does of the last judgment; that 
is, in the present tense, describing in their prophecies His 
coming, sufferings, and triumphs as almost present, and even 
sometimes as past, although away centuries in the future. 

Our divine Saviour used this mode of expression inten- 
tionally, in order to stimulate His disciples and all of us to 
holy watchfulness and serious preparation, especially as the 
fate, which will meet us in that dreadful day, shall have been 
already decided at the hour of our death. To be sure, though 



298 THE END OF THE AVOKLD 

to us the day and the hour are unknown, both ai-e well known 
to our Saviour, for He is the eonsubstantial Son of the 
onniiscient Father. But He does not know them as sent by 
the Father, for as such He was eonnnissioned to announce to 
us the truth of salvation, and not the day, nor the hour, of the 
judgment. If, then, our Father in heaven does not will that 
we should know beforehand the time of the last judgment, is 
it not unbecoming in us to seek this knowledge by luidue 
curiosity? Would it not be much more profitable to await the 
day of the Lord in patient humility, and meanwhile, as the 
apostle advises, work out our salvation in fear and trembling? 

As Jesus had already predicted, fearful signs shall take 
place in all creation, before the last judgment;— in the sun, 
moon, stars, on the surface of the earth. As creation was in 
the beginning beautifully developed in six days out of nothing, 
it shall gratlnally leave its grooves and return to the chaos 
whence it came. For man has abused sun, moon, stars, the 
sea, and all the elements by making them subservient to his 
evil passions; therefore they must be reduced to ruin, before 
the glorious new creation can take place. Who can describe 
the anguish of those who, but a short time previous to these 
signs, were living so unconcerned, so unbelieving, in their 
sins? We may form some idea of this mental anguish, by 
standing at the bedside of a dying and despairing sinner. 

The sign of the cross will shine in celestial brilliancy before 
the Son of man, when He will come in all His splendid 
majesty to judge the world. Wo then to those who, in life, 
found the cross of Christ a folly and a stumbling-block. 

The angels of heaven will accompany their King to His 
court of justice; and like the clangor of trumpets will their 
voices re-sound throughout creation. These are the angels 
whom the Lord, in His love for us, appointed as our guardians 
for body and soul. They, by the power of the omnipotent 
Creator, will summon from the grave the bodies of those whom 
they guarded in life, and take their stand beside them, to 
give testimony for or against, according as these mortals 
obeyed the angels' counsels in life or not. "And the sea," 
writes St. John in the book of the Apocalypse, "gave up the 
dead that were in it, and death and hell gave up their dead 
that were in them. And I saw the dead, great and small, 
standing in the presence of the throne, and the books were 
opened: and another book w'as opened, which is the book of 
life. And the dead were judged by these things which were 



THE END OF THE AVORLD 299 

written in the books according to their works. ' ' And St. Paul 
writes instructively and plainly: "The Lord Himself shall 
come down from heaven with commandment, and with the 
voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the 
dead who are in Christ shall rise first" {Thessalonians iv.) ; 
"Behold I tell you. a mystery. We shall all indeed rise again, 
but we shall not all be changed" into glory. "In a moment, 
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet: for the 
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall rise again incorrupt- 
ible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put 
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. It 
is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiritual body" (1 Cor. 

XV.). 

And when the whole human family shall be assembled for 
judgment, the Lord of justice and sanctity will pronounce 
the sentence ; separate forever the good from the bad, separate 
husband from wife, parents from children, friend from 
friend, companion from companion, in order thus to reward 
the good and to punish the bad for all eternity. 

After the judgment, the new creation of heaven and earth 
shall be completed. For, as the human body really dies in 
death, only to rise again on the last day from dust and ashes 
to a new and glorified life, so will the universe on that day 
be destroyed by fire, to be restored by the omnipotent power 
of God to an existence of indescribable beauty and glory. For, 
King Solomon has said : " I have learned that all the works 
which God hath made, continue forever" (Eccl. iii. 14). And 
St. Gregory the Great thus explains these words of Solomon: 
"It is true that the works of God shall pass away from their 
present form, but in substance they shall last forever. The 
Lord will not create new existences, but will renew His pres- 
ent works, as the earth is renewed in springtime." Hence 
St. Augustine holds that at that time, "the glorified universe 
will correspond to the glorified state of the human body." 
This renewal of creation has been foretold by the prophet 
Isaias in these words: "For behold I create new heavens and 
a new earth, and the former things shall not be in remem- 
brance, and they shall not come upon the heart. But you 
shall be glad and rejoice forever in those days which I create" 
(Is. Ixv.). It is to this prophecy that St. Peter alludes when 
he writes: "We, according to His promises, look for new 
heavens and a new earth, in which justice dwelleth" (2 Pet. 
iii.). And St. Jerome adds very appropriately: "St. Peter 



300 HOAV TO PREPARE FOR THE 

does not say other heavens and another earth, bnt the old re- 
newed and transformed into a glorified state." And yet these 
are all profound mysteries of faith which the human intellect 
is miable fully to fathom— mysteries in which proud science 
affects to discover but silly contradictions. The Christian soul, 
however, looks Avith unspeakable consolation and unbounded 
happiness into these mysteries, and in the midst of those 
sufferings and tribulations which life always brings with it, 
remembers that glory to wliii-h all are called who weep and are 
sorrowful here below, and who mourn and suffer persecution 
for justice' sake. And if, while enveloped in this body, many 
things appear obscure to the soul, it knows all our wisdom 
here below is imperfect and buries itself with reverence and 
worship in the contemplation of these glorious mysteries de- 
scribed by St. John in Revelations, as follows: "And I saw a 
new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the 
first earth was gone, and the sea is now no more. And I John 
saw the holy city the new Jerusalem coming down out of 
heaven, from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her hus- 
band. And I heard a great voice from the throne saying: 
Behold the tabernacle of God with men, and He will dwell 
with them. And they shall be His people : and God Himself 
with them shall be their God : and God shal) wipe away all 
tears from their eyes : and death shall be no more, nor mourn- 
ing, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former 
things are passed away. And He that sat on the throne, said: 
Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me: Write, 
for these words are most faithful and true." 



CHAPTER VII 



HOAV TO PREPARE FOR THE SECOND COMING OF 
CHRIST. PARABLE OF THE WISE AND FOOLISH 
VIRGINS. OF THE FAITHFUL AND UN- 
FAITHFUL SERVANT. THE SENTENCE 
OF THE JUDGE. THE SEPARATION 
OF THE GOOD FROM THE BAD 

(Tuesday i?f Holy Week) 
Matt, xxiv 42; xxv. 46; Mark xiii. 33-37; Luke xxi. 34-38 

St. Augustine says: "In whatever condition thy last day 
of life shall find thee and thy death-hour overtake thee, in 



SECOND COMING OF CHRIST 301 

that very same condition will the day of judgment find thee ; 
for thou shalt be judged on the last day, as to how thou wast 
on thy dying day. If any one permit himself to be overtaken 
unawares by the hour of death, he shall be overtaken by all 
the terrors of the judgment-day. Therefore, let the Christian 
watch, that the day of the Lord may not find him unpre- 
pared. ' ' 

Thus the general judgment and the death-hour of each indi- 
vidual are closely identified, and all the impressive warnings 
to watchfulness given by our Saviour to His disciples, are 
equally applicable to the last judgment and suitable to our 
death-moments. 

1. We Must be Always Prepared 

Therefore, "take heed, watch and pray, for ye know not 
when the time is. Take heed to yourselves, lest perhaps your 
hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and 
the cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly. 
For as a snare shall it come upon all that sit upon the face of 
the earth. Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you 
may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to 
come, and to stand before the Son of man. Watch ye, because 
ye know not what hour your Lord will come. But this know 
ye, that if the good man of the house knew at what hour the 
thief would come, he would certainly watch and would not 
suffer his house to be broken open. Wherefore be you also 
ready, because at what hour you know not the Son of man will 
come. 

"Even as a man who, going into a far country, left his 
house and gave authority to his servants over every work and 
commanded the porter to watch. Who, then, is a faithful and 
wise servant, whom his Lord hath appointed over his family 
to give them meat in season? Blessed is the servant whom, 
when his Lord shall come, he shall find so doing ! Amen, I 
say to you, he shall place him over all his goods. But if that 
evil servant shall say in his heart: My Lord is long a-coming; 
and shall begin to strike his fellow-servants, and shall eat and 
drink with drunkards, the Lord of that servant shall come in 
a day that he hopeth not, and at an hour that he knoweth not ; 
and shall separate him, and appoint his portion with the 
hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 
Watch ye, therefore, for you know not when the Lord of the 
house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock's crowing, 



302 HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE 

or at morning; lest, coming on a sudden, he find you sleeping. 
And what I say to you I say to all : AVateh." 

The most deplorable and pernicious evil that the devil, in 
his cunning, can inliiet upon man, is his strenuous effort to 
rob us of a calm and wholesome fear of death, and to lull us 
into a false and dangerous security. "To be sure," he whis- 
pers into our ear. "you will die. that is understood; but it will 
be a long time before death comes to you. You are yet so 
young, just in the prime of life; or. if you are getting on in 
years, you are still vigorous and full of vitality. Though age 
makes itself felt by loss of strength, or increasing infirmities, 
by dullness of hearing, or weakness of sight, you are yet sound 
of heart ; or even if you are ailing and confined to your bed, 
you are not going to die so soon. Think how many, as old 
and as sick as you. have recovered and lived yet some years in 
the bosom of their family." Such is man's dream from child- 
hood, through youth, manhood, old i\';:e\ till suddenly and un- 
expectedly death comes like a thief in the night, and it is too 
late. 

Remember well, this thief is lying in ambush, and even now, 
perhaps, very close by. And is your heart not yet well se- 
cured, nor firmly entrenched in a state of sanctifying grace? 
have you laid aside the sacred means of defense— prayer, daily 
examen of conscience, frequent reception of the sacraments? 
If so. then the thief will surprise you unprepared in your 
unguarded and exposed situation; he will rob you of all that 
you have gained by virtue of holy baptism, namely, a share 
in the atonement of Christ, membership in the Church, and 
your claim to eternal happiness. 

2. The Parable of the Ten Virgins 

Our divine Lord compares the relative conditions, and how 
it will be in the new kingdom of God \nth those that are care- 
ful and prepared and those who are giddy and indifferent, 
with the condition in which the five prudent and the five 
foolish virgins found themselves at a wedding-feast, w^hen 
waiting for the bridegroom. 

"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like to ten virgins, 
who taking their lamps went out to meet the bridegroom and 
the bride. And five of them were foolish and five wise : But 
the five foolish, having taken their lamps, did not take oil 
with them : but the ^vise took oil in their vessels with the 
lamps. And the bridegroom tarrying, they all slumbered and 



SECOND COMING OF CHRIST 303 

slept. And at midnight there was a cry made: Behold, the 
bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him. Then all those 
virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said 
to the wise : Give us of your oil : for our lamps are gone out. 
The wise answered, saying : Lest perhaps there be not enough 
for us and for you, go you rather to them that sell, and buy 
for yourselves. Now whilst they went to buy, the bridegroom 
came: and they that were ready, went in with him to the 
marriage, and the door was shut. But at last came also the 
other virgins saying : Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answer- 
ing, said : Amen I say to you, I know you not. Watch ye, 
therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour. ' ' 

Like these ten virgins, we are all invited to the nuptials 
of the Lamb, in order to share a happy eternity. Like the 
virgins who, with the bride, were awaiting the bridegroom, 
in order to accompany them into the wedding-hall, we are 
waiting with the bride of Christ, His Church, for the coming 
of the bridegroom, Jesus Christ Himself, in order to go with 
Him, in the company of all the saints and elect, in happy 
train into the kingdom of heaven. Our lamps are in our 
hands ; in holy baptism they were made to burn with infused 
grace of divine faith. But alas, with many the light of faith 
is dying out, or quite extinguished. They still repeat the 
Apostles' Creed, but from old habit or interested motives. 
But that glowing light of joyous, animated, interior fidelity to 
faith's truths has been long extinguished. How did this hap- 
pen? St. James replies: "Faith without works is dead." As 
the lamps of the foolish virgins went out for want of oil, so 
does the light of faith die in our hearts, if not nourished by 
those good works corresponding to true faith; namely, piety, 
love of neighbor, and self-control. Let no one deceive himself 
by saying: I will hold fast the faith in my heart, but as for 
the practice of piety, mortification, moderation, mildness, and 
chastity, I will wait till I am older. That is deceiving our- 
selves. Without good works, without unceasing and earnest 
effort to obtain true holiness, your faith will wither, whether 
you wish it or not, to a useless, lifeless corpse. For, as we 
have the assurance in St. Paul's epistle to the Hebrews, that 
without faith it is impossible to please God, that is, to obtain 
admittance to the heavenly wedding-banquet, equally true and 
unfailing is the assurance of St. James the Apostle, that faith 
without works is dead, that is, it is impossible, without the 
practice of good works, to keep our faith alive. Hence, too, 



304 HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE 

we are Avarned by our Saviour, in His parable of the ten vir- 
gins, always to "have the oil of good works in readiness, so 
that Avhen He summons us to His judgment-seat, we may 
come into His presence with lamps flaming with a brilliant, 
God-pleasing faith. Otherwise, there will be an hour of bitter- 
ness before us, when all will be drear and dismal, with the 
door shut against us, and the dread assurance in our ears: 
"Verily, I know you not." 

remember the examples of the saints! AVhen St. Law- 
rence Justinian lay upon his death-bed, he said, smiling: 
"Until this hour, all was child's play, but now comes the 
serious moment, for the bridegroom is approaching, and I 
must go forth to meet Him." Then, as he raised his eyes to 
heaven, his face beaming with heavenly light, and full of 
fervor, he cried out: "I am coming, sweetest Jesus. This 
day I have always kept before my mind; thou knowest it, 
Lord." As he uttered these words, his soul went out to meet 
the long-desired Bridegroom. 

3. The Parable of the Faithful and the Unfaithful 

Servants 

"For even as a man going into a far country, called his 
servants, and delivered to them his goods. And to one he 
gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to 
every one according to his proper ability : and immediately he 
took his journey. And he that had received the five talents, 
went his way. and traded with the same, and gained other 
five. And in like manner he that had received the two, gained 
other two. But he that had received the one, going his way 
digged into the earth, and hid his lord's money. But after a 
long time the lord of those servants came, and reckoned with 
them. And he that had received the five talents coming, 
brought other five talents, saying: Lord, thou didst deliver to 
me five talents, behold I have gained other five over and above. 
His lord said to him : Well done, good and faithful servant, 
because thou hast been faithful over a few things I will place 
thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 
And he also that had received the two talents came and said: 
Lord, thou deliveredst two talents to me : behold, I have gained 
other two. His lord said to him : Well done, good and faithful 
servant: because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I 
will place thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of 
thy lord. But he that had received the one talent, came and 



SECOND COMING OF CHRIST 305 

said: Lord, I know that thou art a hard man; thou reapest 
where thou hast not sown, and gatherest where thou hast not 
strewed: and being afraid I went, and hid thy talent in the 
earth; behold, here hast thou that which is thine. And his 
lord answering, said to him : Wicked and slothful servant, 
thou knev/est that I reap where I sow not, and gather where 
I have not strewed : thou oughtest therefore to have com- 
mitted my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should 
have received my own with usury. Take ye away therefore 
the talent from him, and give it him that hath ten talents; 
for to every one that hath shall be given, and he shall abound : 
but from him that hath not, that also which he seemeth to 
have shall be taken away. And the unprofitable servant cast 
ye out into the exterior darkness : there shall be weeping and 
gnashing of teeth." 

A few days before his public entry into Jerusalem, Jesus 
had proposed to His disciples a similar parable, hinting at 
the infidelity of the Jews who would not acknowledge the 
dominion of the Messias, and who, therefore, fell a pray to the 
wrath of the returning lord of the vineyard. To-day, our 
divine Lord repeats this parable, but only with a view of 
inducing His disciples to take well to heart the necessity of a 
serious preparation for the coming day of judgment, by a 
judicious use of the talents entrusted to our charge. For 
the Lord has entrusted us with many and varied talents, gifts 
of the supernatural order, such as faith, hope, charity, and 
others; gifts of nature, such as intellect, mind, will, health, 
bodily strength, fortune, and the like; gifts of life, as father, 
mother, ruler, teacher, etc. It is very important that we 
often take account of these entrusted gifts, and keep it like 
an inventory before our eyes, not, indeed, to awaken our 
pride, for all that we have is but an alms from the hand of 
God. It behooves us also, not to envy others who have re- 
ceived more than we have, nor to despise those who have 
received less. In making His division, the Lord has acted in 
pursuance of the decrees of His adorable wisdom, love, and 
justice, and has given to every one what is most advantageous 
to him. Learn rather to thank God, and to renew again and 
again your promise to make faithful use of the talents en- 
trusted to your keeping. 

For a dreadful penalty is in store for the careless and in- 
different servant, who will not be prepared, on His Master's 
return, to lay before Him the proceeds of the talent which he 



306 HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE 

has imprudently buried in the earth; buried either in the 
sands of sloth, by neglecting, through indolence or luxury, 
the duties of his state of life ; buried in the swamp of pleasure- 
seeking, by employing it to procure the gratification of his 
lustful desires ; buried in the hard clay of godlessness, by 
using it for undermining religion, or in persecuting the 
Church of Christ. AVo to such a servant ! Whilst his fellow- 
servants will obtain the kingdom of heaven in reward for their 
fidelity, he will be cast into outer darkness. How sad and 
terrible the separation ! Our divine Master furnishes us with 
a thrilling description of this dreadful separation in the 
following words : 

4. The Sentence of the Judge in Favor of the Just 

"And when the Son of man shall come in His majesty, and 
all the angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the seat of 
His majesty : and all nations shall be gathered together before 
Him. and He shall separate them one from another, as the 
shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats: and He shall 
set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on His left. 
Then shall the king say to them that shall be on His right 
hand : Come ye blessed of My Father, possess you the king- 
dom prepared for you from the foundation of the world : for 
I was hungry, and you gave Me to eat: I was thirsty, 
and you gave Me to drink: I was a stranger, and you 
took Me in : naked, and you covered Me ; sick, and you visited 
Me : I was in prison, and j^ou came to Me. Then shall 
the just answer Him, saying: Lord, when did we see Thee 
hungry, and fed Thee: thirsty, and gave Thee drink? And 
when did we see Thee a stranger, and took Thee in : or 
naked, and covered Thee? Or when did we see Thee sick or 
in prison, and came to Thee? And the king answering, shall 
say to them : Amen, I say to you, as long as you did it to one 
of these My least brethren, you did it to Me." 

You perceive here that it is only a living faith, a fruit- 
bearing, practical-in-charity faith, that can make us happy. 
Among these fruits of a holy, practical faith, our Lord men- 
tions the six corporal works of mercy. The seventh is men- 
tioned in the book of Ecclesiasticus (Jesus Sirach) wdth the 
words: "My son, shed tears over the dead, and according to 
judgment cover his body, and neglect not his burial. ' ' More- 
over, the Hol}^ Scriptures, in various passages, inculcate the 
duty of practising the seven spiritual works of mercy, namely, 



SECOND COMING OF CHRIST 307 

to admonish sinners, to instruct the ignorant, to counsel the 
doubtful, to comfort the afflicted, to forgive offenses, to bear 
with the troublesome, to pray for the living and the dead. 

From the following words, uttered by our divine Saviour 
Himself, we may form some idea of the dreadful fate in store 
on the last day for such as neglect these admonitions to the 
exercise of mercy : 

5. The Sentence of the Judge Against the Wicked 

' ' Then the King shall say to them also that shall be on His 
left hand : Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, 
which was prepared for the devil and his angels : For I was 
hungry, and you gave Me not to eat : I was thirsty, and you 
gave Me not to drink : I was a stranger, and you took Me not 
in : naked, and you covered Me not : sick, and in prison, and 
you did not visit Me. Then they also shall answer Him, say- 
ing: Lord, when did we see Thee hungry or thirsty, or a 
stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister 
to Thee ? Then He shall answer them, saying : Amen I say to 
you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did 
you do it to Me. And these shall go into everlasting punish- 
ment; but the just, into life everlasting." 

Certainly this is an awful sentence to fall from divine lips 
upon an unhappy mortal's ears. "Depart from Me, ye cursed, 
into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and 
his angels." An awful sentence, but a well-merited one for 
the hard-hearted and unmerciful. God is infinite, eternal 
love. How, then, could He welcome into the heavenly king- 
dom those persons who have stifled in their hearts all senti- 
ments of charity toward their fellow-beings, and who have 
been interested only in themselves and in the gratification of 
their own selfish desires? On earth there was no sympathy 
between them and God ; how, then, can there be anything in 
common between them beyond the grave? The devil is the 
spirit of hatred, "a murderer from the beginning," and he 
revels in man's misfortune. To him belong the hard-hearted 
as children to their father, by right of progenitorship ; hence 
their abode will be during all eternity with the devil and his 
angels, in the flames that are never extinguished. 

' ' And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple : but at 
night going out. He abode in the mount that is called Olivet.^ 
And all the people came early in the morning to Him in the 
temple to hear Him." 

^Tbat is to say, in tlie village of Bethania, near Mount Olivet. 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE JEWS LAY PLANS TO PUT JESUS TO DEATH. 

JUDAS ISCARIOT OFFERS TO DELIVER HIS 

LORD AND MASTER INTO THEIR HANDS 

(Wednesday in Holy Week) 
Matt. xxvi. 1-16; Mark xiv. 1-11; Luke xxii, 1-6 

Spy Wednesday presents to our view two harrowing pictures 
of avarice, treachery, cunning, and disloyalty in the heart of 
a chosen apostle; of obduracy, diabolical hatred, and an in- 
satiable thirst for blood in the council-hall of those seventy- 
two men, who, by their office of high-council, stood at the 
head of the chosen people of God. And yet this same day, 
according to ancient tradition, presents to us, apart from the 
contemplation of human degradation and ingratitude, another 
picture truly touching and consoling— the picture of Jesus 
parting from His blessed Mother. 

1. The Members of the High Councii- Resolve to Take 
Jesus by Subtilty 

"Now the feast of unleavened bread which is called the 
Pasch, was at hand. And it came to pass that when Jesus had 
ended all these words. He said to His disciples: You know 
that after two days shall be the Pasch, and the Son of man 
shall be delivered up to be crucified. 

"Then were gathered together the chief priests and the 
scribes and the elders of the people into the court of the high- 
priest who is called Caiphas: and they consulted together, 
that, by subtilty, they might apprehend Jesus and put Him 
to death. But they feared the people, and they said: Not on 
the festival day, lest perhaps there should be a tumult among 
the people." 

About 2000 years earlier in the world's history, a very 
similar meeting was held, not in a stately legislative chamber, 
but in a rude field and beneath the canopy of the heavens. It 
was the council held by Jacob's sons against their unsuspect- 
ing brother Joseph, the prototype of Jesus. Alas, all the greed 
for money and for blood of those fathers of the Jewish nation, 
is again awakened after the long lapse of 2000 years, in the 
hearts of their descendants, and causes them to stretch forth 
the evil hand, as their fathers did of yore against the saintly 

308 



THE JFAVS PLAN TO KILL JESUS 309 

and innocent, to-day against the Author Himself of saintliness, 
the world's Redeemer. Now, indeed, is verified the prediction 
of the royal Psalmist: "The kings of the earth stood up, and 
the princes met together, against the Lord and against His 
Christ." 

The princes of the Jewish people, that is, the high-priests, 
scribes, and elders, assembled for the purpose of now making 
themselves the instruments of satan, by consulting and plan- 
ning together how to apprehend Jesus and put Him to death. 
They must apprehend Him by subtlety, for these men knew 
full well that an open, honorable, truthful, and just judicial 
proceeding would not secure their dishonorable purpose. They 
must employ subtlety, for all their previous duplicity, en- 
tangling questions, and appeals to popular prejudice, having 
proved fruitless, they must needs resort to a deeper and more 
effective artifice in order to destroy the Redeemer. Yes, by 
subtlety; for they must frighten the masses of the people, 
upon whom the Saviour's holiness, wise teachings, compas- 
sionate love for the poor and suffering, and countless wonder- 
ful miracles, have made a deep impression. But the subtle 
and unscrupulous conspirators were well aware of the pro- 
verbial fickleness of a multitude, and how, when led by a 
band of bold and influential men, they will blindly applaud 
and sanction a sudden and bold proceeding. It was necessary, 
therefore, to make a sudden and bold movement against Jesus, 
in order to take the people by surprise, throw them off their 
guard, and then, by a well-directed excitement, to carry them 
along with themselves. 

These arbitrary measures could not, however, be taken 
openly, nor in the light of day, and especially must not be 
ventured on the ensuing great Sabbath or passover.^ For, 
on this festival, there would be among the great concourse of 
strangers in Jerusalem, a large number of persons from Galilee 
and other parts, to whom Jesus had done great favors in 
restoring them to bodily health, and who would certainly look 
upon any indignity offered to his much-respected person with 
very positive and perhaps dangerous disfavor, and might pos- 
sibly make a successful effort to prevent His arrest. But if 
His capture were once an accomplished fact, if the numerous 
minions of the high-priests and a crowd of the lowest rabble, 
who could be bought up at a low figure, were once enlisted in 
the success of the undertaking ; if the people actually saw their 
^"For that was a great sabbath day" [John, xix, 31]. 



310 THE JEWS LAY PLANS 

much praised wonder-worker within the grasp of the law, 
bound hand and foot like a criminal, dragged helplessly before 
the bench of justice, then, as the ringleaders fondly hoped, no 
one would have the courage to interfere in His behalf. In fact, 
man}'- who had been loudest in His praises would be the first 
to range themselves on the side of the successful legal authori- 
ties, and even to assist them in carrying out their nefarious 
designs, while the rest would be intimidated and silenced 
by the intiuenee of the Pharisees, the violence of the mob, or 
through human respect. The only thing now left was to fix 
upon an hour in which to apprehend their victim. This ques- 
tion was under debate, and seemed unlikely to be settled, when 
the great difficulty was solved in a most unexpected way; 
solved to their utmost satisfaction by an apostle of Christ, 
by tlie wretched and accursed Judas. 

2. Judas Volunteers to Betray His Master 

* ' Satan entered into Judas, who was surnamed Iscariot, one 
of the twelve. ' ' And he ' ' went away and discoursed with the 
chief-priests and magistrates that he might betray Jesus to 
them. Who, hearing it, were glad. And he said to them: 
What will you give me, and I will deliver Him up to you? 
They promised him they would give him money, and they 
covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from 
that time he sought for an opportunity to betray Him in the 
absence of the multitude." 

From the lofty dignity of an apostle to the degraded con- 
dition of a traitor the fall is very great. It was occasioned in 
this instance by avarice. Judas had been a witness of the 
voluntary poverty of his Master, from whose lips he had heard 
many touching exhortations to independence of mind and to 
contempt for earthly goods. But his heart, instead of acced- 
ing to these admonitions, grew harder from day to day, veri- 
fying the words of his Master: "You can not serve God and 
mammon." The divine virtue of faith gradually died out in 
a soul clouded by avarice, and indeed, even a year before he 
betrayed his Master, Judas had fallen inwardly and secretly 
away from Him, as we may easily infer by reading the sixth 
chapter of St. John's gospel. For he was among those Jews 
who murmured against the promise made by our Lord con- 
cerning the blessed sacrament of His body and blood. Our 
Lord said at the time: "But there are some of you that be- 
lieve not;" and these words, as the evangelists show us, in 



TO PUT JESUS TO DEATH 311 

the following verse, must have been meant for Judas: "For 
Jesus knew from the beginning who he was that would betray 
Him." And again, when Peter made his noble profession 
of faith, saying : ' ' Lord, to whom shall we go ? Thou hast the 
words of eternal life," Jesus replied: "Have I not chosen 
you twelve : and one of you is a devil ? " It is evident from 
all this, that the fall of the unhappy apostle began with a 
loss of faith, and indeed, with his unbelieving rejection of 
the doctrine of the real presence. The self-seeking and 
avaricious soul of Judas was incapable of appreciating the 
love and magnanimity of Christ in wishing to leave to His 
followers the treasure of His own divine person. Only four 
days before making his detestable plot with the high-priest 
against Jesus, he objected fretfully to the generosity of the 
noble-hearted penitent Mary Magdalen, when pouring a quan- 
tity of precious ointment on the feet of her Saviour, and de- 
manded with temper : Wherefore this waste ? So it has come 
to this at last, Judas, that thou grudgest to thy divine Master 
the homage of a loving soul, deemest the Son of the living God 
undeserving this poor honor, hatest Him in thy heart, and 
pantest to desert Him and His cause? Yes, from that mo- 
ment his contempt for Jesus grew into a genuine diabolical 
hatred, and as the evangelist remarks, "He sought for an 
opportunity to betray Him. ' ' 

But we ask, why did Jesus, who foresaw this man's dreadful 
fall, yet select him for an apostle? In answer to this ques- 
tion, we must remember and believe firmly above all things, 
that it was not his call to the apostolate, but his own voluntary 
free-will malice which led to his ruin. Even the other apostles 
at the time of their calling to the apostleship had in their 
hearts many an ill-suppressed, inordinate tendency, but as 
they opened up their souls with docility to the exhortations, 
example, and grace of Jesus Christ, they were cured of their 
spiritual infirmities. Judas received these same exhortations ; 
he witnessed the same sublime example of the divine Master, 
the same graces were at his disposal ; it was therefore the 
traitor's own fault, exclusively his own unpardonable fault, 
if he chose the way of perdition. And if the Redeemer, not- 
withstanding that He foresaw it from all eternity, permitted 
this self-sought perdition, it was because, in His wisdom and 
mercy. He had resolved to draw from the deplorable deed the 
richest blessings for the redemption and sanctification of the 
human race. 



312 THE JEWS LAY PLANS 

In the first place, Christ desired, by permitting Himself to 
be betrayed and sold by His own disciple, to render satis- 
faction to His heavenly Father for the treason to Himself 
of which mankind had been guilty through the commission of 
sin. For did not our first parents betray and sell their Lord 
and God in a similar Avay to the evil serpent, for a very trifle, 
the momentary enjoyment of forbidden fruit? And have not 
their descendants renewed and continued this contemptible 
treason down to the present day, by turning away from their 
God, to enjoy inordinately transient goods and forbidden 
pleasures? Secondly, Christ wished, by permitting Himself 
to be sold to sinners, to reveal and prove to us in the most 
decided and effectual and touching manner. His infinite love 
for sinnei*s ; that He had come down to earth for the sake of 
sinners, to be their willing slave, and a victim for their re- 
demption. Thirdly, He wished, by the example of what He 
Himself suffered, to comfort and encourage His holy Church 
which would, in the course of centuries, be so often betrayed 
by her own children, as well as to soothe and alleviate the 
bitter affliction of those who are betrayed by their friends, or 
even by their own children. Fourthly, our amiable Redeemer, 
who, for three long years, had, in His patience and forbear- 
ance, tolerated the faithless disciple at His side, and even 
bestowed many favors upon Him, wished to teach us that 
we too must be forbearing toward wicked, hostile men, and 
give them good for evil. Finally, He wished, by the treason 
of Judas, to impress us with a sense and knowledge of the 
uncertainty of human friendship. 

Thus we see that divine mercy knew how to extract from 
the evil deed of one man rich blessings for the whole Church 
and for all the children of God. Judas, the Cain of the New 
Testament, sells the innocent blood of the Abel of the New 
Testament, Jesus Christ, which blood cries to heaven for grace 
and mercy on the whole human race, and it flows over the 
earth and sinks into its bosom, washing away the ancient 
curse. As that Judas of the Old Testament, the fourth-born 
son of Jacob, by selling his innocent brother Joseph to the 
Ismaelite traders for twenty pieces of silver, prepared the way 
unwittingly and unintentionally for the prosperity of Joseph 
and for the future salvation of the Jews and Gentiles of 
Egypt, so, while the Judas of the New Testament is selling 
his God-man brother, Jesus Christ, for thirty pieces of silver, 
and is in the act of receiving the price of innocent blood, the 



THE LAST SUPPER 313 

betrayed Jesus begins the redemption of men and is preparing 
to enter into His glory: "When, therefore," Judas "was 
gone out, Jesus said : Now is the Son of man glorified." Thirty 
pieces of silver ! ' ' And they weighed for my wages thirty 
pieces of silver" (Zach. xi. 12), the prophecy pronounced by 
Zacharias centuries before is now fulfilled. Thirty pieces of 
silver ! The price, in olden times, of a slave, as written in the 
twenty-first chapter of the second book of Moses, he who 
occasions the death of a slave shall give thirty pieces of silver 
to compensate his owner. The divine King of heaven and 
earth chose to be sold for thirty pieces of silver in order to 
prove that He had really assumed the position of a servant. 



CHAPTER IX 



THE LAST SUPPER 

(Holy Thursday) 

Matt. xxvi. 17-30; Mark xiv. 12-26; Luke xxii. 7-39; John xiii. 1-14, 31 

1. How THE Church Observes Holy Thursday 
Significant and solemn rites are performed by the Church 
on Thursday of Holy AVeek.^ 

At first sight, these ceremonies seem to contradict each other, 
for they are expressive partly of joy, partly of sadness. Yet 
this mingling of joy and grief is right and proper; for the 
different events commemorated are both joyous and sad. The 
chalice of benediction, of happiness and of life, stands at the 
foot of the death-laden crucifix. On one hand is the institu- 
tion of the Blessed Sacrament of the altar, with its intro- 
ductory and symbolical ceremonies— the eating of the paschal 
lamb and the washing by Jesus of the disciples' feet. On 
the other hand we see the agony of our Saviour in the garden 
of Olives, the vile and traitorous kiss of unhappy Judas, and 
the rude and violent capture of the Son of God, by His merci- 
less enemies. 

^Holy Thursday, or, as it is sometimes called, Maunday Thursday, is 
known in some lands as Green Thursday, in memory of the wild lettuce 
prescribed by law to be eaten on this day with the paschal lamb. The 
practice of using on this day, for the first time in the season, the early 
vegetables of spring, in remembrance of this command of the Old Testa- 
ment, is now almost forgotten, though it was religiously observed by 
our ancestors. 



314 THE LAST SUPPER 

On this day, only one mass is celebrated in each cathedral 
or parish church. During this mass, the celebrant administers 
holy connnunion under one form only, namely, that of bread, 
to the other clergy and to the laity, in commemoration of the 
Saviour's administering, for the first time, the newly ordained 
sacrament to His apostles at the last supper. The white color 
of the priest 's vestments, the temporary decoration of the high 
altar, and the chanting of the joyous Gloria in excelsis during 
which all the bells are rung, tend to remind us of the glad- 
some meaning, and to revive the happy recollection, of the day 
on which Christ bequeathed to us His precious legacy of the 
Blessed Eucharist. 

The doleful sounding of a wooden clapper during the canon 
of the mass, a sound which then replaces the more joyous 
tones of the bells, and is continued until the Gloria in the 
mass of Easter Saturday, as well as most of the other subse- 
quent ceremonies and observances, are solemnly expressive of 
the sadness of the Church on this day. They also signify the 
.vivid recollection in the minds of her children of the great 
sufferings undergone on this same day upward of 1800 years 
ago by her divine Founder in Jerusalem. The kiss of peace, 
usually given after the Agnus Dei in solemn masses, is omitted 
to-day out of a feeling of horror for the false kiss given by 
Judas to his Master. For the same reason it was customary in 
early times to omit the kissing of the altar and even of the 
gospel. 

On this day, the bishops, during the solemn mass which they 
celebrate in their respective cathedrals, consecrate the holy 
oils which are to be used in the various parishes of their 
dioceses during the ensuing year. The Church gives two 
special reasons for selecting Holy Thursday for the consecra- 
tion of the holy oils. In the first place, the blessed sacrament 
of the Eucharist, the institution of which is commemorated on 
this day, is the first and the very center of all the other sacra- 
ments, rites, and blessings, in the administration of which 
these oils are used. In the second place, the Church requires 
that only these newly consecrated oils,^ to the exclusion of all 
others, be used on the following Holy Saturday in the bless- 
*-The Church uses the oil of catechumens at the blessing of fonts, in the 
administration of baptism, at the consecration of altars, in the ordina- 
tion of priests, and the coronation of kings and queens. The oil of the 
sick is used in Extreme Unction and at the blessing of bells. Holy 
chrism is used at baptism and confirmation, and in the consecration of 
bishops, of chalices, and even at the blessing of bells. 



THE LAST SUPPER 315 

ing of the fonts and in the solemn baptism of catechu- 
mens. 

At the end of the mass, the Blessed Sacrament is carried 
in solemn procession from the high altar to a chapel prepared 
in another part of the church, and which is termed the Re- 
pository. Here it remains enclosed in a tabernacle surrounded 
by lights and flowers, till the following day. Meanwhile the 
faithful come to adore and to make acts of reparation to our 
hidden Lord. This Holy Thursday procession is at once af- 
fecting and significant ; for it brings vividly to our minds that 
sad and solemn vesper-procession made by our Saviour, with 
His wondering disciples, from the room of the last supper 
to the scene of His agony in the garden of Olives. 

Next follows the dreary ceremony of the stripping of the 
altars by the priests, who, at the same time, slowly recite in 
mournful cadence and with subdued voice the words of the 
twenty-first Psalm: "0 God, my God, look upon me: why 
hast thou forsaken me? I am the reproach of men, and the 
outcast of the people. Tribulation is very near, for there is 
none to help me. They have dug my hands and feet ; they 
have numbered all my bones. They have parted my garments 
amongst them, and upon my vesture they have cast lots," 
etc. These words of the Psalmist express plainly and beauti- 
fully what is meant to be conveyed to the soul of the Chris- 
tian, by the stripping of the altars on this day; namely, the 
deep humiliation of our suffering Redeemer, who chose to 
appear, to the eyes of men, destitute of all divine beauty and 
majesty. It symbolizes His abandonment by God and man. 
His nakedness after having been despoiled by His enemies, 
and finally, it symbolizes the unspeakable sadness of the 
Church herself, and her grief for the sufferings and death of 
her divine Spouse. 

Finally the ceremony of washing the feet takes place in 
many cathedrals, in memory and in imitation of the w^onder- 
ful humility of our Saviour, who washed the feet of His 
apostles on this night. 

2. The Preparation for the Passover. The Paschal Lamb 

Such are the solemn ceremonies and pious usages employed 
by the Church from remote antiquity, in order to remind her 
children of the important events and circumstances which 
transpired on the first Holy Thursday. The principal of 
these events was, of course, the last supper, or the old-law 



316 THE LAST SUPPER 

celebration of the paschal lamb, observed for the last time 
by our blessed Lord, on the evening: before His passion and 
death, with His disciples, in an upper room. This momentous 
event in the life of Jesus Christ is thus described by the 
evanjrelists : 

"And on the first day of the xVzymes or unleavened bread, 
on which it was necessary that the Pasch should be killed, the 
disciples came to Jesus, saying: Whither v/ilt thou that we 
go and prepare for thee to eat the Pasch? And He sendeth 
Peter and John, saying: Go and prepare for us the Pasch, 
that we may eat. But they said: Where wilt Thou that we 
prepare? And He said to them: Go ye into the city, and 
behold at your entering into it, a man shall meet you carry- 
ing a pitcher of water: follow him to the house which he 
goeth into. And wherever he shall enter, say to the good 
man of the house: The iMaster saith to thee, My time is near 
at hand ; with thee I make the Pasch with INIy disciples : where 
is a refectory or guest-chambei-, where I may eat the Pasch 
with My disciples? And he will show you a large dining-room 
furnished, and there prepare ye for us. 

"And His disciples went their way and came into the city, 
and they found as He had told them, and they prepared the 
Pasch as Jesus appointed to them. 

"And when evening was come, before the festival-day of 
the Pasch. Jesus knowing that His hour was come, that He 
should pass out of this world to the Father, having loved His 
own who were in the world, He loved them unto the end. And 
He came with the twelve. 

"And when the hour w^as come. He sat down and placed 
Himself at table, and the twelve apostles with Him. 

"And He said to them: With desire I have desired to eat 
this Pasch with you before I suffer. For I say to you, that 
from this time I will not eat it, till it be fulfilled in the king- 
dom of God. Jesus having taken the chalice, gave thanks and 
said : Take and divide it among you. For I say to you, that 
I will not drink of the fruit of the vine till the kingdom of 
God come, when I shall drink it new in the kingdom of God, 
My Father." 

According to ancient tradition, the house in which our 
blessed Lord celebrated the last supper and established the 
Blessed Sacrament, belonged to St. Mark, w^hose family at 
that time were warm friends and admirers of Christ. It was 
in this same room that the apostles were assembled after their 



THE LAST SUPPER 317 

divine Master 's death ; and here, too, He appeared to them 
on the evening of His resurrection. Here He instituted the 
great sacrament of penance; here, on Whit-Sunday, the Holy 
Ghost descended upon the apostles ; and here, too, it was, that 
St. Peter came on the night when he had been set free from 
prison by angels.^ 

With reverent look, turn your eyes upon the venerable 
figure of our blessed Lord and Saviour seated in the midst of 
His apostles, His heavenly countenance beaming with supreme 
majesty of expression mingled with ineffable condescension 
and love for man. He is about to suppress forever the most 
sublime figure of the old dispensation, and to replace it by 
the most glorious of all the mysteries of the new law. With 
what yearning love He has waited the coming of this momen- 
tous hour ! How intense must have been the throbbiugs of 
His divine-human heart, as, in the course of the meal, He 
looked upon the paschal lamb lying before Him with no bone 
of its body broken, and recognized in that inanimate article 
of food and of strength for man, the time-honored symbol of 
Himself. As this innocent lamb had been slain in accordance 
with the law, without injury to any bone, so on the following 
day was He, the Son of man, to be slain; though His bones, 
according to divine decree, were not to be broken. As at the 
time of the Israelites' departure from Egypt, the blood of the 
lamb was the safeguard of their first born against an un- 
timely death, so now was the blood of the God-man to be a 
saving sign of the redemption and salvation of all the children 
of men. This is the last time that He will eat of the paschal 
lamb, for now the very truth and reality, that is, the passover 
feast of the New Testament, is about to come forth and sup- 
plant the ancient figure, and to take its place for all time in 
God's kingdom on earth, namely, the true Church of Christ. 
He takes the chalice, too, for the last time, and as was cus- 
tomary at this feast. He passes it around among His disciples, 
for the day is at hand on which, after the perfect completion 
and development of His kingdom on earth. He will drink, 
with all the elect, the mysterious Avine of eternal happiness in 
heaven. Yet this chalice was not the mysterious cup of the 
ever Blessed Sacrament; this cup was not to be blessed and 
partaken of till after the meal and the washing of the feet. 

^"And Peter considering, he came to the house of Mary, the mother 
of John, who was surnamed Mark, where many were gathered together 
and praying" [Acts xii. 12]. 



318 THE LAST SUPPER 

3. The Washing of Feet 

"And when supper was done, the devil having now put into 
the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, 
knowing that the Father had given Him all things into His 
hands, and that He came from God, and goeth to God, Jesus 
riseth from supper, and layeth aside His garments, and hav- 
ing taken a towel, girded Himself. After that He putteth 
water into a basin, and began to wash the feet of the disciples, 
and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded. 
He Cometh, therefore, to Simon Peter. And Peter saith to 
Him: Lord, dost Thou wash my feet? Jesus answered, and 
said to him: AVhat I do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt 
know hereafter. Peter saith to Him : Thou shalt never wash 
my feet. Jesus answered him: If I wash thee not, thou shalt 
have no part with Me. Simon Peter saith to Him: Lord, not 
only my feet, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to 
him : He that is washed, needeth not but to wash his feet, but 
is clean wholly. And you are clean, but not all. For He knew 
who he was that would betray Him: therefore He said: You 
are not all clean." 

"Then after He had washed their feet, and taken His gar- 
ments, being set down again. He said to them : Know you 
what I have done to you ? You call Me Master, and Lord ; 
and you say well, for so I am. If then I, being your Lord 
and Master, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash 
one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that 
as I have done to you, so you do also. ' ' 

Surely this is a spectacle on which even the angels might 
look down with astonishment and admiration. St. John, in 
relating this ceremony, is not able to find words to adequately 
express this manifestation of Christ's unbounded humility 
and excessive patience. He therefore contents himself with 
alluding, in the opening of his narration, to the statement, 
"The devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot 
to betray Him;" as if he said, Although Jesus well knew that 
one of His apostles had sold Him, and was now only awaiting 
an opportunity to hand Him over to His enemies, yet He 
condescends to wash their feet, and even the feet of the traitor 
himself. Oh, astounding forbearance, over-indulgent love of 
our blessed Redeemer! "Knowing that the Father had given 
Him all things into His hands, and that He came from God 
and goeth to God," that is, as if the evangelist had said: 
Although the beloved Master was fully aware of His own 



THE LAST SUPPER 319 

divine glory and infinite majesty, yet He was pleased to dis- 
charge the duty of a slave, in favor of His unworthy ser- 
vants, by washing their feet. incomprehensible humility 
and condescension of the Son of God ! 

And yet it must be so. The Teacher is about to take His 
departure, and hence He repeats once more practically to His 
apostles, by a most affecting ceremony, the truth which He 
had during the past three years explained, commanded, and 
inculcated, namely, the fundamental law of Christian hu- 
mility, meekness, of self-abasement, and untiring love. Such 
was the object of Jesus in the washing of the feet. But He 
had also another object in view. He wished, by cleansing 
the apostles corporeally, to purify them from all traces of 
sin, and thus prepare them for the approaching reception of 
the Blessed Sacrament; as well also to signify to the faithful 
of all future time that those only should presume to approach 
this mysterious and grace-giving banquet, who had first 
cleansed their souls from mortal sin in the purifying waters 
of penance. 

Behold, Christian reader, and lay well to heart the humility 
of the King of everlasting glory, as He makes Himself the 
servant of His apostles, even going down before them on His 
knees. Laying aside the ample brown garment which He 
usually wore over His seamless robe, and girding Himself 
with a linen towel. He begins, with St. Peter, the impressive 
operation of washing His disciples' feet. He was that highly 
privileged one— he to whom "not flesh and blood, but the 
heavenly Father had revealed that Christ is the Son of the 
living God." 

This clear and exalted knowledge of the divinity of Christ, 
imparted to Peter in this special manner, was incomparably 
superior to the knowledge that we possess through ordinary 
faith. Hence the humble man was frightened when he saw 
his Lord and God kneeling before him and preparing to wash 
his feet. He therefore exclaimed in amazement: "Lord, dost 
Thou wash my feet!" Thou, the Son of the living God, the 
Lord of heaven and earth, to wash My feet, who am but a 
worm of the earth, to become my servant ! ' ' Thou shalt never 
wash my feet." Our humble Saviour persists with friendly 
and impressive earnestness, saying: "What I do, thou knowest 
not now," for there is a double mystery concealed in this 
washing of thy feet — the mystery of Christian self-abasement 
and the mystery of the proper preparation for the reception 



320 THE LAST SUPPER 

of the sacrament of the Eucharist. It was necessary to im- 
press this twofold meaning deeply in the hearts of the apos- 
tles, by means of this significant act of the feet-washing; and 
hence our Lord insists with much earnestness that they must 
undergo the operation; threatening even, that if they do not 
submit to His will, He Avill not permit them to receive worthily 
and profitably the mysterious bread Avhich He had promised : 
"If I wash thee not. thou shalt have no part with Me." AVords 
full of meaning, which every Christian about to receive com- 
munion should ponder carefully. For, if you approach 
the Lord's table without being first washed from grievous 
sin through Christ, you may indeed receive the consecrated 
Bread of Life, yet you will have no share in the riches 
of divine grace, but will rather rush headlong to spiritual 
death. 

At that time, Peter did not understand these words in all 
their full and mysterious meaning. He heard simply that, 
without this washing, he would have no part in Christ. Hence 
he exclaims, with all the eagerness of a soul glowing with 
intense faith : "Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and 
my head," that is, I wish not only to have part with Thee, 
but the most abundant, most complete, and closest union with 
Thee. I wish to have part with Thee, not only by a general 
communion and interchange of love, but also by the most 
intimate and sacred relations possible. 

In order to understand the answer of our Lord, we must 
remember that, among the Jews, it was customary for all 
invited guests to bathe before coming to a banquet, and just 
before going to table to wash their feet, even in the house of 
their host, in order not to soil the cushions on which, accord- 
ing to the fashion of those days, they used to recline when at 
table. It is to this custom that Jesus alludes in His reply to 
St. Peter : ' ' He that is washed, needeth not but to wash his 
feet." 

St. Peter then sat down and permitted Jesus to wash his 
feet. But who can conceive the feelings of embarrassment 
under which he labored? As he looked down and saw his 
Lord and I\Iaster on bended knees and with bowed head, tears 
flowed from his eyes and coursed rapidly down his cheeks. 
When Jesus, after having carefully dried Peter's feet with the 
towel, bent still lower and impressed a kiss upon them with 
His sacred lips, St. Peter's heart was ready to burst with 
excessive love, and he would at that moment have shed every 



THE LAST SUPPER 321 

drop of his blood, if necessary, for the sake of his beloved 
Redeemer. 

Having finished with St. Peter, our Lord then proceeded to 
render the same service to St. John, then to St. Andrew, 
St. James, and so on through all to the last. By this wash- 
ing, these privileged men were cleansed not only in body, but 
also purified in soul. For then was infused into their inner 
being such a true and vivid knowledge of their un worthiness, 
and such a heartfelt contrition for their past sins, that these 
sentiments of perfect contrition were enough to obtain forgive- 
ness. He also infused into them an inward light, by means 
of which they were enabled to understand clearly, and ap- 
preciate fully, their Saviour's infinite love and humility, as 
well as their own unworthiness to receive such an honor at 
His divine hands. 

4. The Institution of the Bi^essed Sacrament 

But now that mystery of love, which from the beginning 
had lain in the sacred heart of Jesus, is to be accomplished 
and made manifest in the institution of the adorable sacrament 
of His own precious body and blood. Here human language 
fails. The words of the wisest and holiest may not, for they 
can not, express the exalted glory of this event in the life of 
Christ. So awfully grand and incomprehensible is this 
mystery that even the evangelists themselves recount it in the 
fewest words possible. If any place, it is here that St. John's 
words are true, "There are also many other things which 
Jesus did" and said in presence of His disciples, "that are not 
written in this book." Hence many of the most profoundly 
learned men and those most experienced in the ways of God, 
are of opinion that the divine Teacher, after having finished 
the washing of His apostles' feet, and before proceeding to 
the solemn institution of the Eucharist, prepared them in the 
best manner that they were capable of receiving, and said 
to them, that the hour had now come when He would redeem 
His promise and give them really and actually the heavenly 
manna. But, first of all, let us listen to the inspired words of 
the evangelists. 

' ' While they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and He gave 
thanks, and He blessed it, and He broke it and gave it to His 
disciples, and said : Take ye and eat. This is My body, which 
is given for you : do this for a commemoration of Me. 

"In like manner, taking the chalice after He had supped, 



322 THE LAST SUPPER 

He gave thanks and gave it to them, saying: Drink ye all of 
this, for this is My blood of the New Testament which shall 
be shed for many to the remission of sins." 

St. Paul, twenty-four years subsequent to this event, relates 
it and gives testimony of it in the first epistle to the Corin- 
thians as follows : 

"For I have received of the Lord llial which also I delivered 
unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which He 
was betrayed, took bread, and giving thanks, broke, and said: 
Take ye and eat : this is My body which shall be delivered for 
you : do this for a commemoration of Me. In like manner 
also the chalice, after He had supped, saying : This chalice is 
the new testament in ]\Iy blood ; this do ye, as often as you 
shall drink, for the connnemoration of Me. For as often as 
you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice : you shall show 
the death of the Lord until He come. Therefore, whosoever 
shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord un- 
worthily, shall be guilty of the Body and of the Blood of the 
Lord. But let a man prove himself; and so let him eat of 
that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and 
drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to him- 
self; not discerning the body of the Lord." 

The same Apostle Paul in other epistles, both to the Corin- 
thians and the Hebrews, writes to the same effect, saying posi- 
tively : "AVe have an altar, whereof they have no power to eat 
who serve the tabernacle" (Heh. xiii. 10) ; "For the chalice of 
benediction, which we bless, is it not the communion of the 
blood of Christ ? And the bread which we break, is it not the 
partaking of the body of the Lord?" (1 Cor. x. 16.) 

Thus was fulfilled and perfected at the Last Supper, all 
that our blessed Saviour had so graciously and so emphatically 
promised during the celebration of the passover feast, just 
one year previous. After having given thanks to His heavenly 
Father, and having blessed the earthly gifts of bread and 
wine and offered them to the Father, He then, by virtue of 
His efficacious and omnipotent word, changed the bread and 
Avine really, truly, and substantially into His Sacred Body and 
most Precious Blood. Then, presenting to His apostles thisBody 
and this Blood, they received, ate, and drank; and thus was 
solemnized the first communion in the Church. Now, too, was 
offered for the first time that one, holy, mysterious sacrifice of 
the new covenant, foretold by the prophet Malaehias. For, 
Tinder the form of the bread, the body of Christ, in so far as 



THE LAST SUPPER 323 

it was to be delivered up, that is to say, a body already sacri- 
ficed, was really present. Under the form of wine, the blood 
of Christ in so far as it was to be shed, namely, a blood of 
sacrifice, was really present. It was at this time, too, that the 
apostles and their successors received full power to offer up 
this self-same sacrifice of the new law. For Jesus permitted, 
or rather:* commanded them to perform those three acts, 
namely, of sacrifice, of consecration or complete change of one 
substance into another, and of communion ; as He Himself had 
done. He enjoined them, saying: "Do this in commemoration 
of Me." 

Who can describe the pious reverence, the profound hu- 
mility, the ardent love, with which these highly favored apos- 
tles prepared to partake, for the first time, of this sacred and 
supernatural bread of celestial life? Well might they fall 
down upon their knees before their divine Master. Well 
might they clasp their hands, bow their heads, and shed 
copious tears, as one after the other received the bread of 
angels from the omnipotent hand of their blessed Lord. AVell 
might they all, but most of all, the beloved disciple St. John, 
who had enjoyed the honor of resting His head upon His 
Master's bosom during the Last Supper, well might they, one 
and all, while enraptured in holy ecstasy, have believed that 
they were enjoying a foretaste of that celestial happiness 
which had been so often promised to them by their Saviour. 
beloved, happy, venerated first followers of Jesus, you 
whose ineffable privilege it was to be the first among your 
fellow-men, to taste the sweet bread of angels, pray for me 
each time that I draw near to the table of the Lord ! Pray 
that my heart may overflow with sentiments such as animated 
your pure, seraphic hearts, when you knelt before Jesus. 
Sublime sacrament of my Saviour 's love ! may I honor, adore, 
and love Thee at every moment of my life, at each drawing 
of my breath, at each pulsation of my heart. May I ever long 
for Thee, from the inmost depths of my soul. Bread of 
angels, strengthen me ! Sacred food, nourish and satiate me ! 
Saving medicine, heal me ! Precious balsam, soothe me ! 
Burning love, warm me ! Bright sun, enlighten me ! Rare 
treasure, enrich me ! Supreme good, fill and fortify my heart 
now and forever ! Amen. 

The sublime value and glorious excellence of this holy 
sacrament will be made even still more conspicuous and strik- 
ing to our understandings and touching to our hearts, if we 



324 THE LAST SUPPER 

consider, even briefly, why Jesus ordained it on the very eve 
of liis bitter passion and cruel death, and after having par- 
taken of the paschal lamb. He wished to leave this sacrament 
to us as His farewell blessing, as a loving father's parting 
gift, as the completion of His goodness to us, as the crowning 
act of all His deeds of love. 

Alas, how much to be pitied are those misguided heretics 
who atfeet to believe that the Son of God, in His last hours 
of life, hath left naught else to His cherished and beloved 
disciples and friends, but a little insignificant bread and wine, 
in mere remembrance of Him ! Bread and wine in com- 
memoration of the Son of God ! Most absurd of heresies ! 
"This is ^ly body." saith Christ, and "this is My blood." 

In this last solemn hour of the Saviour's life upon earth, 
He desired to leave to His beloved ones the most sublime and 
excellent of gifts— His own precious body and blood — though 
He left it under the forms and appearances of the two most 
familiar articles of food. He chose for this sovereign bequest, 
the most impressive moment of His life— just previous to 
His departure for His passion and death — that thus the 
memory of the dear departed One might be vividly and per- 
manently engraved on the hearts and souls of those who love 
Him. For the last acts and the last words of our dying 
friends always impress themselves deeply on our minds. The 
hour was drawing near when, in His human form, He was 
about to leave His apostles; therefore. He chose this time to 
establish the adorable mystery of the Eucharist, in which He 
was to remain with them in the sacramental forms. He chose, 
too, the time when the apostles were just after having par- 
taken of the paschal lamb. For the symbol was about to give 
place to the reality. The veritable Lamb of God who, by His 
precious blood, was to efface the sins of the world, was to 
replace the figurative lamb of the old law, the sprinkling of 
whose blood had saved from death and destruction the first- 
born of the ancient Israelites. The symbolic paschal feast of 
the Old Testament was to be soon followed by the eucharistic 
banquet of Christianity, of the eternal covenant of the new 
law. 

5. Jesus Foretells the Treason op Judas 

How the perception of this great truth and reality must 
have filled the hearts of the astonished disciples with sublime 
happiness ! What deep gratitude toward their divine Master 



THE LAST SUPPER 325 

must have taken possession of their souls ! Their hearts and 
intellects were ravished at the thought of the invaluable 
treasure which was henceforth to be theirs. With rapture they 
listened to each word as it fell from the Saviour's inspired 
lips. One, only one — alas! that there should be even one in 
the midst of this hallowed company— was unworthy. Judas 
felt no joy, nor peace, for his heart was filled with rancor 
and his soul was void of faith. The yawning gulf, already 
existing between him and Jesus, had now been frightfully 
widened by the sacrilege of an unholy communion. Referring 
to this incorrigible sinner, the divine Master now spoke in 
solemn and serious tones: "Amen, amen, I say to you, the ser- 
vant is not greater than his lord ; neither is the apostle greater 
than He that sent him. If ye know these things, blessed shall 
ye be if ye do them. I speak not of you all ; I know whom 
I have chosen ; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, he that 
eateth bread with Me, shall lift up his heel against Me. I 
tell you now before it come to pass, that when it shall come to 
pass ye may believe that I am He. Amen, I say to you, he 
that receiveth whomsoever 1 send, receiveth Me : and he that 
receiveth Me, receiveth Him that sent Me. 

"When Jesus had said these things, they were at table, eat- 
ing, and He was troubled in spirit ; and He testified and said ! 
Amen, amen I say unto you : Behold the hand of Him who 
betrayeth Me is with Me on the table : one of you that eateth 
with Me shall betray Me, The disciples, therefore, looked 
upon one another, doubting of whom He spoke. And they 
being very much troubled, began to inquire among themselves, 
which of them it was that should do this thing, and there was 
a strife amongst them. They began every one to say : Is it I, 
Lord ? But He answering, said : One of the twelve, that 
dippeth his hand with Me in the dish, he shall betray Me. 
The Son of man indeed goeth according to that which is de- 
termined, as it is written of Him, but wo to that man by 
whom the Son of man shall be betrayed. It were better for 
him, if that man had not been born. 

' ' And Judas that betrayed Him, answering, said : Is it I, 
Rabbi ? He saith to him : Thou hast said it. 

"Now there was at table, leaning on Jesus' bosom, one of 
His disciples whom He loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned 
to the disciple, and said to him : Who is it of whom He speak- 
eth? He therefore, leaning on the breast of Jesus, saith to 
Him : Lord, who is it ? Jesus answered : He it is to whom I 



326 THE LAST SUPPER 

shall reach bread dipped. And when He had dipped the 
bread. He gave it to Judas Isoariot, the son of Simon. And 
after the morsel, satau entered into Judas. And Jesus said 
to him : That which thou dost, do quickly. Now, no man at 
the table knew to what purpose He said this unto him. For 
some thought, because Judas had the purse, that Jesus had 
said to him : Buy those things which we have need of for the 
festival day, or that he should give something to the poor. 

"He, therefore, having received the morsel, went out im- 
mediately. And it was night." 

Yes, it was night — a dark and gloomy night in the soul of 
the unfortunate, evil-minded Judas. The light of faith had 
gone out, the last spark of pure love was extinguished, and a 
dark, impenetrable night of spiritual blindness and obstinacy 
had settled down upon the soul of the most unhappy among 
men. And yet the divine blaster, during the course of the 
evening, had acted toward him with the tenderest friendship 
and consideration ; and, without letting the other apostles dis- 
cover it, had even given to him the most touching and gentle 
warnings. But all was in vain ; for the kindness of Jesus had 
turned the traitor 's heart to stone. 

6. Jesus' Farewell Discourse. Who is Greatest among 
THE Disciples 

""When, therefore, he was gone out, Jesus said: Now is the 
Son of man glorified and God is glorified in Him. If God be 
glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and 
immediately will He glorify Him. 

"And there was a strife among them, which of them seemed 
to be greater. And He said to them: The kings of the 
Gentiles lord it over them, and they that have power over 
them that are called beneficent. Let it not be so with you, 
but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the least; and 
he that is the chief, as he that serveth. For which is greater, 
he that sitteth at table, or he that serveth? Is not he that 
sitteth at table 1 But I am in the midst of you as he that serveth. 
And you are they who have continued Avith Me in My tempta- 
tions. I dispose to you as My Father hath disposed to Me a 
kingdom ; that you may eat and drink at My table in My king- 
dom, and may sit upon thrones judging the twelve tribes of 
Israel." 

These words form the introduction to the significant and 
impressive farewell address spoken by the Saviour to the faith- 



THE LAST SUPPER 327 

ful apostles, after the withdrawal of Judas. This last had 
gone out to arrange with the Jewish priests about the exact 
time and the ways and means of betraying Jesus. Thus the 
hour of His humilation and suffering having come, the hour 
of glory for His heavenly Father as well as for Himself had 
also come. For, as the death-sacrifice of our Saviour is the 
most glorious act of homage to, and the completest recognition 
of, the majesty, justice, and sanctity of the heavenly Father, 
so it is, too, the greatest glory of the Son of man, who, by 
conquering with the cross, death, hell, and the devil, has 
merited the double glory of the resurrection and the ascension. 
But the apostles were not able to fully understand these mys- 
teries. They supposed that the glory of the Son of man 
would be temporal glory, a triumph in the reconstructed king- 
dom of Israel. Hence they disputed among themselves now, 
as they had done on a previous occasion, as to who should 
have the first and largest share in this imaginary glory of 
their conquering Master. But Christ, with His usual for- 
bearance and prudence, taught them that the real and true 
glory of His faithful servants was to be found only on the 
other side of the grave, in the realms of everlasting triumph 
and happiness. He warned them that only those who here 
below walk in the footsteps of their humble and patient 
Leader can hope to enter upon the enjoyment of this heavenly 
glory. 

7. The Farewell Discourse Continued, Four Consola- 
tions 

' * Simon, Simon, behold satan hath desired to have you, that 
he may sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for thee, that 
thy faith fail not ; and thou being once converted, confirm thy 
brethren. My little children, yet a while I am with you. Ye 
shall seek Me, and as I said to the Jews, whither I go, you 
can not come : so I say it also to you now. A new command- 
ment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have 
loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all 
men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for 
another. 

"Simon Peter saith to Him: Lord, whither goest Thou? 
Jesus answered : Whither I go, thou canst not follow Me now, 
but thou shalt follow Me hereafter. Peter saith to Him : Why 
can not I follow Thee now? Lord, I am ready to go with 
Thee both into prison and to death : I will lay down my life for 



328 THE LAST SUPPER 

Thee. Jesus answered him : Wilt thou lay down thy life for 
Me? Amen, amen, I say to thee, Peter, the cock shall not 
crow this day, till thou thrice deny that thou knowest Me. 

"And He said to them: When I sent you without purse, 
and script, and shoes, did you want anything? But they 
said : Nothing. Then He said unto them : But now he that 
hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a scrip ; and he 
that hath not, let him sell his coat and buy a sword. For I 
say to you, that this that is written, must be fulfilled in Me, 
And with the wicked was He reckoned. For the things con- 
cerning Me have an end. But they said : Lord, behold here 
are two swords. And He said to them : It is enough. ' ' 

Alas, how totally unprepared, how utterly unable these 
simple apostles were, not excepting Peter himself, the chief 
among them, to penetrate into the mystery of the impending 
sufferings and death of Christ ! Equally unprepared, too, and 
unable were they to discover and to understand the mystery 
of the utter disgrace, persecution, and desolation which would 
soon overtake themselves, because they were the followers of 
their humbled, defeated, and slain Master. Up to this hour, 
Master and disciples had passed many good and pleasant days 
in each other's company. They had fared well, for Jesus had 
provided miraculously for all their wants. Knowing their 
want of fortitude. He had been careful to avert from them all 
serious persecution and opposition. He had consoled, cheered, 
and encouraged them, by vouchsafing His divine presence 
always to them. But now a new and very gloomy day is be- 
ginning to dawn. It will be a day of contempt, of hatred, 
and of persecution. Humanly speaking, the apostles will 
have to depend on themselves, on their own resources, the 
money in their purses, the bread in their scrip, the sword at 
their side. 

But, as has been already remarked, the apostles were in- 
capable of understanding their situation. They took, in its 
most literal sense, the figurative language used by Christ con- 
cerning the purse, scrip, and sword. They could not soar to 
the high and noble conception of Jesus. They had no appre- 
hension of impending danger, of threatening calamity, of 
imminent suffering or death. So little conscious were they of 
their o^^^l weakness and inefficiency, that St. Peter cried out 
with presumptuous zeal and precipitation: "Lord, I am ready 
to go with Thee into prison and to death." Poor Peter! soon 
wilt thou discover, to thy grief and dishonor, how completely 



THE LAST SUPPER 329 

thou hast deceived thyself. Thou wilt learn later, and in a 
trying school, how weak and unreliable human nature is, 
when in its boundless pride it foolishly imagines that it can 
stand without assistance from above. Thou wouldst fain go with 
thy divine Master into prison and to death. Poor, unsuspecting 
Peter ! Strong as thou believest thyself to be, an obscure and 
lowly woman with a few words will lead thee to the denial 
of that very Master. It is well for thee that a merciful Lord, 
who has foreseen thy vacillation and departure from truth 
and fidelity, hath prayed for thee, that the faith which thou 
wouldst soon deny outwardly, might not fail within thee and 
be hopelessly and irrevocably shipwrecked on the rock of 
human respect. It is well for thee that, by virtue of this 
divine prayer, thou wert able to rise again after thy fall, and 
become a guide and support to thy brethren. It is well for us 
and for the whole Church, whose visible foundation-stone thou 
wast appointed to be, that the divine prayer of Jesus had the 
effect of moving thy heart to deep and lasting penance. By 
virtue of that divine prayer, thy own faith was saved, as well 
as the faith of thy successors, through long ages of persecu- 
tion and trial. By virtue of that prayer of Jesus, the faith 
of our chief pastors, the Popes, has ever escaped shipwreck. 
Whatever they declare to the universal Church as articles of 
faith, must, by virtue of the Saviour's prayer, be free and 
untainted from the shadow of error. These words of Christ, 
although their meaning was not entirely plain and clear to 
the imperfect understandings of the apostles, made a deep and 
lasting impression on their souls. Hence the compassionate 
and considerate Jesus consoled them by diverting their at- 
tention from the misery of this poor earth to that blessed and 
happy land where they shall find relief from persecution and 
strife and opposition, and see the Son of man transfigured in 
the glory of the Father. 

"Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; 
believe also in Me, His only and co-equal Son. In My Father's 
house there are many mansions. If not, I would have told you, 
because I go to prepare you a place. And if I shall go and 
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and I will take 
you to Myself, that where I am you also may be : and whither 
I go you know, and the way you know. 

"Thomas saith to Him: Lord, we know not whither Thou 
goest and how can we know the way? Jesus saith to him: I 
am the way and the truth and the life. No one cometh to the 



330 THE LAST SUPPER 

Father, but by I\re. If you had known I\Ie, yon would doubt- 
less have known My Father also ; and from henceforth you 
shall know Him, and you have seen Him. 

"Philip saith to Him: Lord, show us the Father, and it is 
enough for us. Jesus saith to him : So long a time have I 
been with you, and have you not known Me? Philip, he 
that seeth ^le, seeth also the Father. How sayest thou : Show 
us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, 
and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you, I 
speak not of IMyself. But the Father who abideth in Me, He 
doth the works. Do you not believe that I am in the Father, 
and the Father in Me? Believe at least on account of the 
works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you : he that be- 
lieveth in Me. the works that I do. he also shall do, and greater 
than these shall he do : because I go to the Father. And 
whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in My name, that will 
I do, that the Father may be gloritied in the Son. If you 
shall ask anything in My name, that will I do. 

"If you love Me, keep ]\Iy commandments. And I will ask 
the Father, and He will send you another Paraclete, that He 
may abide with you forever, the spirit of ti-uth, whom the 
world can not receive; because it seeth Him not, nor knoweth 
Him : but you shall know Him, because He shall abide with 
you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you orphans: I will 
come to you. 

"Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more. But 
you shall see Me, because I live and you shall live. In that 
day (when I am risen again), you shall know that I am in 
My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He that hath My 
coiimiandments and keepth them, he it is that loveth Me. And 
he that loveth Me, shall be loved of My Father; and I will love 
him and will manifest ^lyself to him. 

"Judas (not he called Iscariot) saith to Him: Lord, how is 
it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself to us, and not to the 
world ? Jesus answered and said to him : If any man love 
Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love Him, 
and we will come to Him and will make our abode with Him. 
He that loveth "Me not, keepeth not i\Iy words : and the word 
which you have heard, is not mine, but the Father's who sent 
Me. These things have I spoken to you, abiding with you; 
but the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send 
in My name, He will teach you all things and will suggest all 
things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you. 



THE LAST SUPPER 331 

''Peace I leave to you, My peace I give unto you: not as 
the world giveth it do I give it to you. Let not your heart 
be troubled, nor let it be afraid. You have heard that I said 
to you, I go away and I come to you again. In case you loved 
Me, you would doubtless be glad that I go to the Father, 
because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told 
you before it come to pass, that when it shall have come to 
pass you may believe. Now I will not speak many things with 
you. For the prince of this world cometh : and in Me he hath 
not anything. But that the world may know that I love the 
Father, and that I do as the Father hath commanded Me, 
arise, let us go hence. ^ 

"And when they had said a hymn, He went out, according 
to His custom, to the mount of Olives, and the disciples fol- 
lowed Him." 

Our loving Redeemer had many things more to say to His 
disciples, many more truths to impress upon their hearts and 
souls, than are contained in this discourse. Hence He con- 
tinued to address them at great length, uttering words of 
wisdom and of warning, as He and they, with slow and solemn 
pace, turned their steps toward Mount Olivet. To His salu- 
tary words of instruction. He then added that sublime and 
lengthy prayer, usually called the intercessory prayer of our 
divine High-Priest. This sublime discourse of our blessed 
Saviour is at once a comforting farewell address to the apos- 
tles and a universal prayer for them and for all men. 

In the first portion of this sublime discourse, our Lord 
directs attention to the kingdom of heaven, where want and 
persecution shall have no existence, where pain and affliction 
shall be transfigured into pleasure and happiness. Christ 
goes thither in advance. For that celestial paradise had been 
closed by sin, and He alone, by virtue of His passion and 
death, was able to re-open it. He was to be the first to enter 
it and prepare for every one of the elect a dwelling-place, 
corresponding to the measure of each one's sanctity and per- 

'St. Augustine, with many other commentators, is of opinion that 
when Jesus pronounced these words, "Let us go hence," He really left 
the supper-room, accompanied by His apostles; hence the address which 
followed as well as the intercessory prayer, was uttered on the road to 
the garden of Olives. Other commentators, however, maintain that 
Christ meant merely to leave their places at table, and that He pursued 
His conversation in the same room. Were this the case, then the words 
of St. Matthew, "And when they had said a hymn," etc., should be 
placed at the end of the intercessory prayer. We here follow the opinion 
of St. Augustine. 



332 THE LAST SUPPER 

fection. Unless He preceded and went in advance to open the 
heavenly gates through the instrumentality of that key of 
heaven, the cross of sacrifice, no child of Adam could ever 
come to the eternal Father. For, alas ! between heaven and 
earth, between Creator and creature, between God and man, 
sin had dug a yawning gulf of terror and despair. This 
dismal gulf our Lord Himself filled up with the merits of His 
good works ; nay. He Himself became the golden bridge over 
the abyss, the AVav through the Truth to the Light and the 
Life. 

Again, our Saviour promised to His apostles that they and 
all faithful followers of the gospel should enjoy a delicious 
foretaste of heaven's happiness. What is the happiness of 
heaven ? To see God face to face, to enjoy the beatific vision. 
dazzling beauty of My God ! how transcendent and illimit- 
able Thou must be ! for all that is fair, lovely, and charming 
on earth is but a dull and feeble ray of Thy splendor. O full- 
ness of life, plenitude of riches, perfection of beauty, brightest 
of light, all comprised in i\Iy God ! Eternity is not long 
enough to satisfy the Cherubim and Seraphim in the contem- 
plation of so much goodness and beauty. Noav all this un- 
bounded wealth of beauty and happiness is also contained in 
the person of Jesus Christ. For although, under the aspect 
of His human nature. He is, as it were, subordinate to His 
eternal Father, yet, by virtue of His divinity. He is essentially 
co-equal with the Father, and is the expression of His glory. 
The person who looks upon Jesus Christ, the person to whom 
Christ deigns to manifest Himself, sees, as far and as fully as 
it is possible for the eye of human intellect to penetrate, the 
heavenly Father Himself. But here the divine Redeemer 
promises that He will manifest Himself to His apostles and to 
all others who will prove their fidelity, love, and obedience 
by doing His holy will. 

In the third place, the Saviour, in His farewell discourse, 
consoles us all by directing our attention to the miracle-power 
of the true Church. As Christ dwells in the bosom of His 
heavenly Father, so, too, does He abide in His holy Church 
on earth. Having, even ^^^th His sacred humanity, entered 
into the glory of His Father, He continues to manifest from 
age to age this glory and this power in His Church. How 
does He do this ? By the miraculous works of the apostles and 
the other saints of the Church, and by the still greater miracles 
which are wrought every day in the sacraments and in the 



THE DISCOURSE OF JESUS, ETC. 333 

holy mass. All these miraculous effects are obtained from 
our blessed Redeemer, and are the fruit of prayer offered in 
His name. Truly, a new and glorious mode of prayer left to 
His faithful followers by the divine Teacher Himself ! It is 
in the name of Jesus that the apostles and all their successors 
pray to heaven. For when they pray, they pray in intimate 
union with Jesus Christ, as if in identity of person with Him, 
so that, in some sense, it is not they who are praying, but the 
glorified Son of man within them, our Mediator and Advo- 
cate before the throne of the eternal Father in heaven. It is 
by virtue of this sublime and mysterious process of prayer 
that the Church accomplishes such miracles of grace and 
mercy. By virtue of such prayer every petition of ours will 
receive a hearing at that same throne of God, for all the 
faithful share in the advantages of such prayer. 

Finally, our blessed Lord, before the separation, consoled 
His apostles by the promise of the Holy Ghost, who was to 
come down upon them on the following Pentecost. "The 
world," that is to say, the earthly and fleshly minded, those 
who are given up to the concupiscence of the eyes, the lusts 
of the flesh, and the pride of life, such persons have no 
appreciation of the Spirit from above. They do not, they 
can not receive Him, because they do not desire Him, nor seek 
Him. But those who love Christ will receive this comforting 
Spirit, and together with Him they will receive the choicest 
of all goods of this life, namely, that long-promised and long- 
desired gift of heaven, about which the angels sang on Christ- 
mas night, ' ' Peace on earth to men of good will. ' ' 



CHAPTER X 



THE DISCOURSE OF JESUS ON HIS WAY TO MOUNT 

OLIVET 

(Holy Thursday) 

John XV. 1-16, 33; Matt. xxvi. 31-35; Mark xiv. 27-31 

1. Christ is the Vine, and the Disciples are the Branches 
I AM the true vine : and My Father is the husbandman. 
Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit. He will take away : 
and every one that beareth fruit He will purge it, that it may 
bring forth more fruit. Now you are clean by reason of the 



334 THE DISCOURSE OF JESUS 

word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me: and I in 
3^ou. As the branch can not bear fruit of itself, unless it 
abide in the vine: so neither can you, unless you abide in 
Me. I am the vine, you the branches : he that abideth in Me, 
and I in him. the same beareth much fruit : for without Me 
you can do nothing. If any one abide not in Me, he shall be 
cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather 
him up, and cast him into the tire, and he burnetii. If you 
abide in Me, and i\ly words abide in you, you shall ask what- 
ever you will, and it shall be done unto you. In this is My 
Fatlier glorified, that you bring forth very much fruit, and 
become My disciples." 

Here we have a beautiful and expressive simile : Christ is 
the trunk of the vine, and we are the branches. How beauti- 
fully expressive of the union and the oneness of spiritual life ! 
For, as from the parent-stem of the vine, all the sap or life- 
power flows into the bi-anches and produces buds, leaves, 
blossoms, and fruit, so does all that is good and meritorious in 
us for eternal life spring exclusively from the God-man power 
and virtue of Jesus Christ. He is the very soul of our souls. 
Poor, deluded man, who have separated yourself from Christ! 
You are a lopped-ofT branch. You imagine that you live, and 
yet you are spiritually dead. You imagine that you are work- 
ing out successfully the problem of life, and yet all your 
exertions will avail nothing for eternity, for it is written, 
"Without me, you can do nothing." Poor, deluded family, 
who have torn yourselves from Christ, you are but a lopped-off 
branch. You fancy that you have firmly laid the foundation 
of future prosperity; but dissension and disunion will ensue, 
your riches will fall into strangers' hands, for it is written, 
"Without me, you can do nothing." Mistaken and perverted 
nation, who have allowed yourselves to be torn away by 
infidel leaders from the very source of national health and 
strength, you are indeed a rotten branch. The number of 
your poor and oppressed will increase, those who live on 
you will flatter you while they suck out your very life's blood. 
The happiness and prosperity transmitted to you by your 
forefathers will become a thing of the past, for it is written, 
"Without me, you can do nothing." Bear well in mind, Chris- 
tian reader, that in Christ alone is wisdom, peace, and happi- 
ness. Cling to Him in an embrace of faith and love, and say 
with the Psalmist : "It is good for me to stick close to my 
God: to put my hope in the Lord God" {Ps. Ixxii. 23). 



ON HIS WAY TO MOUNT OLIVET 335 

2. The Union of Jesus with His Disciples Founded on 

Charity 

Whence is it that the Saviour has become so intimately and 
inseparably united to us, poor unworthy creatures, that, like 
the branches on the parent-stem, we are as but one, and derive 
our life and our merit from His divine-human vital power? 
It is all the effect of love. And if this essential and vital 
union is to be continued, we must give love in return. And 
if we love Him, we must love also those whose brother He be- 
came by the incarnation, and whose Saviour He became by 
His death on the cross. For He Himself says : 

"As the Father hath loved Me, I also have loved you. 
Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you shall 
abide in My love, as I also have kept My Father's command- 
ments, and do abide in His love. These things I have spoken 
to you : that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be 
filled. This is My commandments, that you love one another, 
as I have loved you. Greater love than this no man hath, that 
a man lay down His life for His friends. You are My friends, 
if you do the things that I command you. I will not now call 
you servants : for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. 
But I have called you friends : because all things whatsoever 
I have heard of My Father, I have made known to you. You 
have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and have ap- 
pointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth fruit : 
and your fruit should remain : that whatsoever you shall ask 
of the Father in My name. He may give it you. These things 
I command you, that you love one another. ' ' 

3. Battle and Victory. Christ Foretells the Persecu- 

tions that Will Befall the Disciples, and Their 
Victories Won Through the Holy Ghost 

Yes, love ; disinterested, unselfish, self-sacrificing love ; true 
and lasting love, which will live even when temporarily re- 
jected ; earnest and constant love, not flattering with empty 
words, but desiring the true happiness of one's fellowmen; in 
a word, love for our neighbor for God's sake, or Christian 
charity. This is the glorious mark and certain evidence of a 
child of God. But the world, Avhich is not of God, that is, 
the evil powers of this v/orld and those unhappy men who 
permit themselves to be guided and influenced by these cor- 
rupt and God-hating powers, this corrupt world does not know 



336 THE DISCOURSE OF JESUS 

such pure love. Hence it will meet Christ as well as His 
messengers of heavenly love, the apostles, with hatred and 
envy. 

"If the world hate you, know ye that it hath hated Me 
before you. If you had been of the world, the world would 
love its own : but because you are not of the world, but I have 
chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 
Remember My word that I said to you: The servant is not 
greater than his master. If they have persecuted Me, they 
will also persecute you : if they have kept My word, they will 
keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for 
My name's sake: because they know not Him that sent Me. 
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have 
sin : but now they have no excuse for their sin. He that 
hateth ^le : hateth My Father also. If I had not done among 
them the works that no other man hath done, they would not 
have sin : but now they have both seen and hated both Me 
and My Father. But that the word may be fulfilled which is 
written in their law : They hated Me without cause. But when 
the Paraclete cometh whom I will send you from the Father, 
the Spirit of truth, who proceedeth from the Father, He 
shall give testimony of Me : and you shall give testimony, be- 
cause you are with Me from the beginning. 

"These things have I spoken to you, that you may not be 
scandalized. They will put you out of the synagogues : yea, 
the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will think that 
he doth a service to God; and these things will they do to 
you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me. But 
these things I have told you, that when the hour shall come, 
you may remember that I told you of them." 

And how very soon this hour of persecution did come upon 
the apostles ! Jews and Pagans, Greeks and Romans, the East 
and the "West, all precipitated themselves with furious rage 
upon the little band of brave apostles. In the midst of the 
most violent religious, social, and political storm, the work of 
the Lord was begun, and amid Jews and Pagans, Greeks and 
Romans, in the East and in the West, the kingdom of God was 
firmly and permanently founded. Alas, this dreadful hour, 
so truthfully predicted by the Saviour, the hour of hate and 
of persecution, seems to have come round again in the cycle of 
time. An angry war-cry of alarm is raised in every country 
against Christ and His Church. 

And now, as our Lord is about to leave the apostles, He 



ON HIS WAY TO MOUNT OLIVET 337 

deems it a proper time to speak not only of these persecutions, 
but also of the divine comforting Spirit, the Holy Ghost. 

"But I told you not these things from the beginning, be- 
cause I was with you: and now I go to Him that sent Me; 
and none of you asketh Me, Whither goest Thou ? But because 
I have spoken these things to you, sorrow hath filled your 
heart. But I tell you the truth ; it is expedient to you that I 
go; for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you; but 
if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He is come. He 
will convince the world of sin, and of justice, and of judg- 
ment ; of sin, because they believed not in Me ; and of justice, 
because I go to the Father, and you shall see Me no longer; 
and of judgment, because the prince of this world is already 
judged. I have yet many things to say to you, but you can 
not bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, is 
come, He will teach you all truth; for He shall not speak of 
Himself, but what things soever He shall hear. He shall 
speak; and the things that are to come He shall show you. 
He shall glorify Me; because He shall receive of mine, and 
shall show it to you. All things whatsoever the Father hath, 
are mine. Therefore I said, that He shall receive of mine, and 
show it to you." 

These sublime parting words of our Saviour abound in pro- 
found mysteries. Dearest Saviour ! Thou art going to Thy 
Father; by the way of the cross to Thy triumph, a way full 
of grace and good fortune for us. For, by treading this way 
of the cross and going thus to Thy Father, Thou hast earned 
and secured for us the saving influence and interposition of 
the Comforting Spirit, the Paraclete. By the perfection of 
the work of atonement. Thou hast rendered us competent to 
receive His sevenfold supernatural graces. 

To the world, which wishes to know nothing of Christ, this 
Holy Spirit will bring the knowledge and involuntary con- 
viction, as well as force the confession of three very important 
facts, namely, sin, justice, and judgment. He will first con- 
vince the world of sin, that is. He will compel it to feel the 
power of sin, together with all its consequent miseries, tem- 
poral and spiritual, of soul and of body. The world can now 
no longer refuse to acknowledge the positive presence and the 
aggressive force of this sin-misery. It must avow its utter 
inability to free itself from the deadly effects of wrong-doing 
among men, and that, too, notwithstanding the most enlight- 
ened, advanced, strenuous, and continued efforts made for the 



338 THE DISCOURSE OF JESUS 

purpose of ameliorating society. But the world is an unbe- 
lieving world. Now the indispensable condition of emancipa- 
tion from the evils of wrong-doing among men, is a firm, 
humble, and loving faith in Christ. Wherever such faith pre- 
vails, there bloom and ripen the glowing fruits of Christ's 
"going to the Father,'' or of His death on the cross. There, 
too, flourishes the justice of the Holy Ghost, which consists in 
the sanctitication of man, in his emancipation from sin, in 
holiness of life, and, as a consequence, in joy, peace, and 
happiness in the Lord. To this glorious spectacle the world 
can not close its eyes, hence it becomes involuntarily and pain- 
fully cognizant of the night of sin enshrouding it like a pall. 
The Holy Ghost will also convince the world of judgment. 
By virtue of the death of Christ on the cross, the prince of this 
world, the devil, has already been convinced of judgment. 
He has been vanquished, put to shame, and stripped of that 
power which, in consequence of sin, he was permitted by 
Providence to acquire and to exercise over mankind. This 
single triumph of Christ will, through the mysterious opera- 
tion of the Holy Ghost, become a permanent and ever-return- 
ing triumph in individual hearts. Hence every effort and 
assault made by the world in opposition to God's kingdom 
will, notwithstanding temporary appearances to the contrary, 
be eventually put to shame, and made to stand in all its 
helplessness, with the mask torn from its face. 

4. Sadness and Joy. Christ Foretells His Death, and Its 
Glorious Results 

Observe here, Christian reader, with what tenderness and 
delicacy the Saviour prepares His apostles to hear the sad 
news, that the hour of separation has at last come. He has 
already foretold to them the coming of the Holy Ghost, with 
His manifold graces and effects, the triumph of God's king- 
dom upon earth and their own admission into the realms of 
heaven. And now He uses less sorrowful words to communi- 
cate the painful information. He cheers their sad hearts with 
comforting parables. 

"A little while, and now you shall not see Me; and again 
a little while, and you shall see I\Ie; because I go to the 
Father. Then some of His disciples said one to another: 
What is this that He saith to us : A little while, and you shall 
not see Me; and again a little while, and you shall see Me, 
and, because I go to the Father ? They said therefore : What 



ON HIS WAY TO MOUNT OLIVET 339 

is this that He saith, A little while? we know not what He 
speaketh. And Jesus knew that they had a mind to ask 
Him, and He said to them : Of this do you inquire among 
yourselves, because I said : A little while, and you shall not 
see Me ; and again a little while, and you shall see Me. Amen, 
amen I say to you, that you shall lament and weep, but the 
world shall rejoice; and you shall be made sorrowful, but 
your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman, when she is 
in labor, hath sorrow, because her hour is come ; but when she 
hath brought forth the child, she remembereth no more the 
anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. So also 
you now indeed have sorrow, but I will see you again, and 
your heart shall rejoice ; and your joy no man shall take from 
you. And in that day you shall not ask Me any thing. Amen, 
amen I say to you : if you ask the Father any thing in My 
name. He will give it you. Hitherto you have not asked any 
thing in My name : Ask and you shall receive, that your joy 
may be full. These things I have spoken to you in proverbs. 
The hour cometh when I will no more speak to you in prov- 
erbs, but will show you plainly of the Father, In that day 
you shall ask in My name ; and I say not to you, that I will 
ask the Father for you, for the Father Himself loveth you, 
because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came out 
from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into 
the world : again I leave the world, and I go to the Father. 
His disciples say to Him : Behold now Thou speakest plainly, 
and speaketh no proverb ; now we know that Thou knowest 
all things, and Thou needest not that any man should ask 
Thee. By this we believe that Thou comest forth from God. 
Jesus answered them: Do you now believe?" 

"Do you now believe?" Christian reader, do you thor- 
oughly understand the import of this sorrowful word of the 
Saviour, noiv? Yes, now; for in a few hours it will become 
painfully evident that the faith of the apostles was not a 
living faith, nor one animating and influencing their whole 
soul, nor yet a faith to withstand trial and temptation. It 
has yet to be made such a faith. It will be made such a faith 
by the coming of the Holy Ghost. 0, with what different 
eyes will these apostles then look upon their divine Master, 
when He will reveal Himself to them, not palpably, nor in 
the form of a servant, but inwardly, by the light of the Holy 
Ghost, and in all the majesty and splendor of His glorified 
state ! This enlightenment, and a right to the highest favors 



340 THE DISCOURSE OF JESUS 

of divine condescension, the Saviour Avill earn for them by 
His going to the Father ; that is, by going through His death- 
sacrifice. 

Then will dawn the day when His apostles' prayer will no 
longer be a mere asking and a bogging, like that of a mendi- 
cant who has no rights, but a confident demand. For, in faith 
and love, they will have applied to their souls the infinite 
merits of Christ's atonement, and thereby merited the "love 
of the Father, the right to be heard. ' ' O sublime and incon- 
ceivable dignity of redeemed man ! Through Christ, the crea- 
ture has secured rights and claims on His Creator. The Most 
High of heaven has become a debtor to His servants on earth. 
When the Christian draws near in prayer to the throne of 
the Almighty, he carries in his hand a title-deed which God 
must recognize and honor; for it is the precious certificate of 
heirship and of a child's rights through the Holy Ohost, 
signed and sealed with the purchasing blood of the Victim 
sacrificed upon the cross. 

It is true, the apostles must be separated from their loving 
Master, before this kingdom of grace and of glory shall be 
fully and permanently established in their souls. The wail- 
ing on their side for the slaughtered Victim, and the glad 
mockery of the enemy, must first be heard in the land. Yet 
the very event which will rend their hearts with grief and 
fill the fiendish breasts of the enemy with momentary gratifi- 
cation, the passing through the portals of an ignominious death 
by their beloved Master, will, in itself, become an inexhaust- 
ible and irresistible torrent-fountain of heavenly comfort, and 
an endless mine of wealth and grace. 

5. Night and Day. Christ Foretells the Defection and 
THE Conversion of His Apostles 

' ' Then Jesus said to them : Behold the hour cometh, and it 
is now come, that you shall be scattered every man to his 
own. and shall leave Me alone ; and yet I am not alone, because 
the Father is with i\Ie. All ye shall be scandalized in Me this 
night; for it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the 
sheep of the flock shall be dispersed. But after I shall be 
risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. These things 
I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In 
the world ye shall have distress ; but have confidence, I have 
overcome the world. And Peter answering, said to Him: 
Although all shall be scandalized in Thee, I will never be scan- 



OUR LORD'S INTERCESSORY PRAYER 341 

dalized. And Jesus saith to him : Amen I say to thee, to-day, 
even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt 
deny Me thrice. But Peter spoke the more vehemently : Al- 
though I should die together with Thee, I will not deny Thee. 
And in like manner, also, said they all." 



CHAPTER XI 



OUR LORD'S INTERCESSORY PRAYER 

John xvii. 1-26 

"These things Jesus spoke: and lifting up His eyes to 
heaven. He said : Father, the hour is come, glorify Thy Son 
that Thy Son may glorify Thee : as Thou hast given Him 
power over all flesh, that He may give eternal life to all whom 
Thou hast given Him. Now this is eternal life : That they 
may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom 
Thou hast sent. I have glorified Thee on the earth : I have 
finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do : and now 
glorify Thou Me, Father, with Thyself, with the glory 
which I had, before the world was, with Thee. I have mani- 
fested Thy name to the men whom Thou hast given Me out of 
the world ; thine they were, and to Me Thou gavest them : and 
they have kept Thy word. Now they have known that all 
things which Thou hast given Me are from Thee : because the 
words which Thou gavest Me, I have given to them : and they 
have received them, and have known in very deed that I came 
out from Thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send 
Me. I pray for them ; I pray not for the world, but for them 
whom Thou hast given Me, because they are Thine. And all 
My things are Thine, and Thine are Mine, and I am glorified 
in them. And now I am not in the world, and these are in 
the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep them in 
Thy name, whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one 
as we also are. While I was with them, I kept them in Thy 
name. Those whom Thou gavest Me have I kept, and none of 
them is lost but the son of perdition, that the Scripture may 
be fulfilled. And now I come to Thee; and these things I 
speak in the world, that they may have My joy filled in them- 
selves. I have given them Thy word, and the world hath 
hated them, because they are not of the world, as I also am not 



342 CUE LORD'S INTERCESSORY PRAYER 

of the world. I pray not that Thon shoiiklst take them out 
of the world, but that Thou shouldst keep them from evil. 
They are not of the world, as I also am not of the world. 
Sanctif}" them in truth. Thy word is truth. As Thou hast 
sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 
And for them do I sanctify INIyself, that they also may be 
sanctified in truth. And not for them only do I pray, but for 
them also who throu^rh their word shall believe in Me; that 
they all may be one. as Thou, Father, in Me, and I in Thee, 
that they also may be one in us ; that the world may believe 
that Thou hast sent Me. And the glory which Thou hast 
given l\Ie, I have given to them, that they may be one, as we 
also are one. I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be 
made perfect in one, and the world may know that Thou 
hast sent Me, and hast loved them as Thou hast also loved 
Me. Father, I will that where I am, they also whom Thou 
hast given Me may be with Me ; that thoy may see My glory 
which Thou hast given Me, because Thou hast loved Me before 
the creation of the world. Just Father, the world hath not 
known Thee; but I have known Thee, and these have known 
that Thou hast sent Me. And I have made known Thy name 
to them, and will make it known ; that the love wherewith 
Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them." 

These sublime words express and explain some of the pro- 
foundest mysteries of the grand mystery of the atonement. 
The heavenly Father is glorified hy His only begotten Son. 
Yes, in this magnificent mystery there is a glorifying of 
God ; but, besides this, there is unspeakable condescension 
toward us. A high-priest, who is at once human and divine, 
makes himself the voluntary victim and is slain on the altar 
of the cross, in order to appease divine justice and sanctity; 
thus to redeem and sanctify mankind. A divine-human 
Teacher, still glorifying the Father and deferring to benighted 
man, brings down truth from heaven and reveals to man, by 
word and wonder, the perfections of the eternal Father. A 
divine-human King promulgates to us the laws of heaven, 
and by precept and example induces us to become worthy of 
our Father in heaven, to become perfect. 

Moreover, the incarnate Son of God is glorified by His 
Father. Here again we discover the glorification of the Per- 
fect One, mingled with love and condescension toward us. 
This Jesus of Nazareth, who was rejected at His birth by the 
Bethlehemites, at His entry into Jerusalem by the Jews, and 




Martin Feuersteiu 



■EccE Homo" 



CHRIST IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE 343 

denied and cast out at the hour of His death by the people 
of Jerusalem, is glorified on Bethlehem's plains by choirs of 
chanting angels, is recognized on Jordan's banks by a voice 
from heaven, and vindicated on the cross of Calvary by ap- 
palling wonders in agitated nature, as the only begotten of 
the Father, the Son of the living God. This same Jesus of 
Nazareth bursts the bonds of death, arises in glory from the 
grave, and ascends in triumph to heaven where His eternal 
Father had prepared for Him a throne at His own right hand. 
All the redeemed are called to a participation in this two- 
fold glory of the Father and of the Son on earth, and to a 
blissful participation of this same glory forever in heaven. 



CHAPTER XII 
CHRIST IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE 

Matt. xxvi. 36-56; Mark xiv. 32-52; Luke xxii. 40-53; John xviii. 1-12 

1. His Death- Agony. The Triple Prayer. The Comfort- 
ing Angel 

''When Jesus had spoken these things He went out with 
His disciples over the brook Cedron. And He went, according 
to His custom, to the mountain of Olives, and His disciples 
also followed Him. Then Jesus cometh with them into a vil- 
lage called Gethsemane, where there was a garden, into which 
He and His disciples entered. He said to His disciples : Sit 
you here, till I go and pray yonder. Pray that you enter not 
into temptation. 

"And He taketh with Him Peter and James and John, the 
two sons of Zebedee, and He began to fear, and to be heavy, 
to be sorrowful and sad. Then He saith to them : My soul is 
sorrowful even unto death; stay here and watch with Me. 

"And having gone a little further. He Himself was with- 
drawn from them the length of a stone's cast, and kneeling 
down, He prayed, saying: Father, all things are possible to 
Thee: if Thou wilt, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, 
not My will, but Thine be done. 

"And when He rose up from prayer, and was come to His 
disciples, He found them asleep through grief. And He said 
to them : Why sleep you ? And He saith to Peter : Simon, 
sleepest thou? What, could you not watch one hour with 



344 CHRIST IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE 

Me? Arise, watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. 
The spirit indeed is willing, but the tiesh is weak. 

"And going away again, He prayed, saying the same words: 
My Father, if this chalice may not pass away, but I must 
drink it, Thy will be done. And He eometh again and findeth 
them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And they knew not 
what to answer Him. 

"And leaving them. He went again, and prayed the third 
time, saying the self-same words. And an angel appeared 
to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony 
He prayed the longer, and His sweat was as drops of blood 
trickling down upon the ground. 

"And He eometh the third time to His disciples and saith 
to them: Sleep now and take your rest; it is enough. It is 
enough ; the hour is come ; behold, the Son of man shall be 
betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go; be- 
hold, he that will betray Me is at hand." 

What appalling mystery is this before me now ! I see the 
second Adam in the garden. The fierce struggle between 
death and life has begun. The Son of man has prepared 
Himself to retrieve, by a grand and glorious victory over 
satan, the defeat of the first Adam in the garden of Eden. In 
close proximity to the divine Master, I see His three favorite 
apostles, Peter, James and John, the same who had been wit- 
nesses of His transfiguration on j\Iount Tabor, and who are 
now chosen to be the witnesses of the deep degradation of 
this same divine IMaster, that they may proclaim it for all 
time, and thus preach the mystery of a God debased for love 
of us. 

I see a threefold miracle before my eyes. I see the King 
of glory prostrate on the earth in affliction, in agony unto 
death, covered with a bloody sweat, and I hear a wonderful 
prayer issuing from His sacred lips. I see an angel in the 
act of comforting and strengthening the King of the angels. 
Permit me, dearest Jesus, to cast a glance into this threefold 
mystery, that I may ever afterward be deeply impressed with 
holy reverence therefor, and thus participate in its blessings : 
blessings which will fortify me in my own death-agony. 

The blessed Redeemer of mankind is now crushed with 
grief and melancholy. His whole frame quivers, as He ex- 
claims : "My soul is sorrowful even unto death." This dread- 
ful state of mental depression in our divine Jesus was not, as 
it is with ordinary men, the effect of a depression of the vital 



CHRIST IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE 345 

forces, which takes place in the human system, not only with- 
out, but even in direct opposition to the free will of the suf- 
ferer. The Son of man had, of His own free will, called down 
upon Himself, so to speak, this terrible weight of anguish, or 
at least had permitted it to come upon Him. It was, more- 
over, a terribly real mental agony, an anguish such as no 
human tongue can describe, no human heart can endure, no 
human brain can conceive. It was an anguish which pene- 
trated and rent not only His holy soul, but cut into every 
fiber and tissue of His virginal body, oppressing His heart so 
violently that the blood^ actually oozed from the pores of the 
skin, coursed down His face, breast and limbs, and saturated 
the very earth on which He knelt. 

Christ's love for mankind demanded and obtained this ex- 
cruciating agony. This extraordinary and dreadful spectacle 
of the bleeding and agonized face of Jesus ought to arouse 
our slothful and indifferent souls from their lethargy and 
make them understand how dreadful, how inconceivably 
dreadful, must have been this soul-anguish which He so 
willingly took upon Himself for our sake in the garden of 
Olives. 

Ask your divine Saviour for the reasons why He under- 
went this awful and excessive agony in the garden, and He 
will answer: Thou! Thou unfortunate, thou sinner, thou hast 
been the cause of My excessive anguish of soul and of body. 
I had consented to take upon Myself all the accumulated 
punishments which the human race has deserved on account 
of its iniquities, and which it will deserve till the end of 
time. These sins, then, stood, in all their vast numbers and 
dreadful enormity, before My eyes. I saw before Me, too, 
the chains with which, like a culprit, I was to be bound, the 
ropes with which I was to be dragged before the judgment- 
seats of wicked judges, the blows on My face, the mockeries 
and jeers, the scourges with which My flesh would be torn 
into shreds, the crown of thorns which would pierce My 
temples, the jagged nails which would lacerate My feet and 
hands, the cross on which I was to hang, the frightful desola- 
tion and abandonment of My death-hour, the terror of death 

^The most reliable writers and doctors of antiquity, such as Irenseus, 
Epiphanius, Jerome, and others, assure us that Jesus Christ did really 
shed drops of blood during the agony in the garden. And not only the 
pagan philosopher Aristotle, but modern scientists, such as Calmet, 
Maldonatus, and others, assert the possibility of such an unusual sweat 
of blood in a case of excessive mental depression and anxiety. 



346 CHRIST IX THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE 

itself. I saw all these horrors staring Me in the face, and I 
shuddered. And as human nature is always terrified at the 
sight of suffering, and shudders in the presence of death, and 
as the human nature which I have assumed is the tenderest, 
purest, and most perfect of natures, it shuddered so violently 
at the dreadful sight of such extreme suffering and at the 
prospect of such a painful death, that My agony in the garden 
was as excruciating as ISly very death-throes on Calvary. In- 
deed, it was in this dreadful hour and place that I entered 
upon the death-struggle which did not cease for a moment, 
till I yielded up My soul upon the cross. And these long- 
continued death-horrors I chose to undergo, with a view of 
relieving the agony of the dying sons of Adam, of alleviating 
thy own death-agony. During that hour of agony in Geth- 
semaue, I saw writhing in the throes of death all those who 
have died and all those who will die till the end of time. I 
saw them shrink and shudder at the first opening glimpse of 
eternity. I saw their bodies distorted with pain, as the soul 
in its flight burst the bands which had held them together. 
I saw the cold death-sweat upon millions of ghastly faces. I 
saw the evil spirits hovering over their victims in this critical 
moment, tormenting them with temptations to despair. I 
heard their last melancholy groans and the dismal rattle in 
their gasping throats. Ah, all these dying creatures are My 
brethren, bone of My bone, and flesh of My flesh. I am the 
head, they are the members. Their death-agony is mine. I 
desired to pass through mine in Gethsemane and on Calvary, 
offering it amid fervent prayers to the eternal Father as an 
atoning sacrifice for sin. so that henceforth all who, during 
life, would remember with compassion and sympathy My bitter 
passion and death, and in their hour of death would call on 
Me, should triumph gloriously over death and hell, and depart 
this life in peace. This is a profound and a grace-abounding 
truth or mystery of which thou shouldst take timely advan- 
tage, if thou wouldst pass through an easy and happy death. 
And yet thou must not suppose that this vision of millions 
in the agony of death, seen so vividly by Me in the garden, 
was the principal and only cause of My dreadful sufferings. 
It was sin, the countless and enormous iniquities of the whole 
human race, the sins that I had freely and in compassionating 
love taken upon Myself, the loathsomeness, guilt, and weight 
of which, at that hour, bore Me down to the earth. I was over- 
powered with all the blasphemies, perjuries, curses, enmities, 



CHRIST IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE 347 

persecutions, hypocrisies, falsehoods, thefts, cheating, injus- 
tices, impurities, wrongs of widows and orphans, disobedience 
of ungrateful children, the heaven-crying sins of negligent 
and vicious parents, suicides, and murders. Understand, too, 
man, that I had assumed on My soul the weight of all those 
crimes, just as if I had been guilty of them Myself. My pure 
and spotless soul shuddered at the contact, My heart was ready 
to part in two under the heavy burden, and yet this was not 
the most awful part of what I suffered in the garden. Alas ! 
that My bitter anguish should have been suffered in vain for 
millions of obstinate, impenitent men ; alas ! that the fire of 
My divine-human love should hot have been penetrating 
enough to soften their flinty hearts, that so many should de- 
spise My teachings, deride My precepts and counsels, desecrate 
the sacraments of My grace, and notwithstanding My atoning 
and redeeming death, should die the endless death of the 
damned ! This dismal sight it was, standing dreadfully plain 
before My face, that filled My soul with its most torturing 
pangs; this it was that forced the sweat of blood from My 
pores. 

Here you have then the fourfold cause of the agony of 
your Saviour in the garden. The more seriously you contem- 
plate this awful mystery, the more profoundly will you suc- 
ceed in penetrating into the second mystery of Gethsemane, 
namely, the mystery of the thrice-repeated, miraculous prayer 
of your adorable Redeemer. 

It is not enough to simply believe that Christ, as true man, 
pronounced this prayer for Himself, or prayed in this man- 
ner merely to give an example to redeemed man, to teach him 
how to have recourse, in time of affliction and necessity, to 
earnest, persevering, and God-given prayer. These two ex- 
planations are good and true, but we must believe firmly also, 
that Christ in Gethsemane prayed especially in His character 
as Head of His Church. Endeavor to understand rightly and 
fully the meaning of this last sentence. The whole life of the 
Church, the entire history of God's kingdom upon earth, is 
an unbroken history of suffering, a perpetual martyrdom. 
As our holy Church, the pure bride of Christ crucified, passes 
on her way through time, she is ignored by worldlings, perse- 
cuted by the powerful, derided by false scientists, denied and 
betrayed by disloyal sons. Jesus Christ is her Head, and she 
is inseparably united to Him. Therefore, her martyrdom is 
His martyrdom; and when in the garden of Olives He, like 



348 CHRIST IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE 

Job, wrestles with His heavenly Father in earnest prayer, this 
prayer is not only the prayer of the sacred person of Christ, 
but is, in a most special manner, a prayer of the Church 
militant, a prophetic prayer. Yes, in the sacred person of 
Christ, as He prays in the garden, pray also the countless 
armies of coming martyrs, the persecuted l3ishops, the calumni- 
ated priests, the plundered and banished religious, and all 
those faithful laymen who have been reviled and persecuted 
for justice' sake. In behalf of these, and in the name of 
them all, Christ prayed: "Father, if it be possible, let this 
chalice pass away from Me. But yet not My will, but Thine 
be done." 

Christ, by going forward to prayer three times, wished to 
teach us that we, too, should pray in a threefold manner for 
a threefold object, namely, for the remission of past sins, for 
the removal of present evil habits, and for protection from 
future occasions of sin ; that, by persevering prayer, we should 
obtain a triple shield against the concupiscence of the eyes, 
the concupiscence of the flesh, and the pride of life; that, in 
like manner, we should offer our homage to God the Father, 
God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. 

And then a third mystery is presented to us. The holy 
evangelist, St. Luke, relates it briefly in the few but expressive 
words: "And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven, 
strengthening Him." ^Vhat meaneth this apparition, O my 
Jesus? Thou hast within Thee the fulness of the Godhead 
and from Thy wealth every living being draws strength and 
happiness, and yet Thou choosest to receive strength from an 
angel, one of Thy own creatures. This surely is a great and 
incomprehensible miracle of condescension. 

A miracle of humility and of love ! The only begotten Son 
of the eternal Father wished to humble Himself so deeply 
and so thoroughly, and, as Son of man, to come so near to the 
condition of a child of man with all his wants, that He who 
condescended to partake of human nourishment from the 
sacred person of His Virgin-Mother, was pleased to accept 
an angel's assistance in His agony, as He was pleased to ac- 
cept the help of Simon the Cyrenean in the carriage of His 
cross. Besides, our blessed Teacher wished to impress us with 
the excellence and efficacy of prayer. Abandoned by all 
men, even by His chosen apostles, who, thoughtless and un- 
sympathetic, have dropped to sleep, the Son of man turns to 
His heavenly Father with a thrice-repeated, fervent prayer, 



CHRIST IN THE GARDEN OP GETHSEMANE 349 

when behold a messenger comes from heaven, bringing Him 
strength and consolation. Pray, then. Christian reader, es- 
pecially pray in time of mental depression, of trial and afflic- 
tion, and when deserted by your fellow-creatures; for the 
author of all consolation, He who was Himself comforted by 
an angel, will take pity on you and send His angel to you; 
that is, He will give you counsel, encouragement, and help. 
Pray, therefore, repenting sinner, for He who assumed the 
sins of the whole world will send thee His angel, a messenger 
from heaven, thy father-confessor, who, by the power of the 
triune God, will lift the heavy load of sin from thy shoulder 
and declare thy sins forgiven. 

The Venerable Bede very aptly remarks : " In one place in 
Holy Writ we read that angels came and ministered unto 
Him ; here it is stated simply that an angel came to strengthen 
Him; the former passage has reference to the divine nature of 
Christ, the latter to His human nature. ' ' 

No human mind can conceive, nor human tongue express, 
what conversation passed between our Lord and the angel, nor 
the mysterious aid and relief sent to the suffering Son by His 
compassionate Father in heaven. This, however, we know 
for certain, that the strength and comfort brought from 
heaven by the angel did not lessen the anguish of our dear 
Redeemer, but rather augmented it. The angel strengthened 
Jesus, in order that He might suffer with increased fortitude. 
The angel strengthened Jesus by picturing to His mind the 
abundant and precious fruit of His sufferings, but the suffer- 
ings themselves were not diminished. Hence, as the evangelist 
informs us, it was only after the angel's coming that our 
Saviour fell into His agony and discharged through His pores 
the sweat of blood that ran down to the ground. "And being 
in an agony He prayed the longer. And His sweat was as 
drops trickling down upon the ground." 

Christian reader, fall down in spirit and kiss the soil con- 
secrated by such precious dews. Venerate and love the scene 
of this profound mystery, the blood-stained earth of the gar- 
den of Olives. venerated and highly favored spot, which 
has been moistened with the blood of the Son of man ! Thrice 
holy and blessed rock, on which the Saviour of the world lay 
prostrate, and which was bedewed with His tears and stained 
with His blood ! sacred cave, consecrated by the sadness 
and the prayers of Jesus ! Accept, merciful Saviour, my 
sincerest gratitude for the anguish undergone for my sake, 



350 CHRIST IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE 

for the prayer which Thou didst offer for me, for all the 
precious drops of Thy bloody sweat poured out for love of 
me. I lay my sinful head upon the spot where Thou didst 
strive in vain to rest Thine, and striking my sinful heart, I 
say: Lord Jesus Christ, be merciful to me, help me in my 
last agony, and let my last end be commended to Thee. Amen. 

2. The Kiss of Judas 

"And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, and also who be- 
trayed Him, knew tlie place, because Jesus had often resorted 
thither together with His disciples. And behold, while Jesus 
was yet speaking, cometh Judas, having received a band of 
soldiers and servantvS from the chief-priests and the scribes 
and the elders, and with him a great multitude, with swords 
and staves, with lanterns and torches and weapons, sent by 
the Pharisees. And he that betrayed Him gave them a sign, 
saying: ^Vhomsoever I shall kiss, that is He; hold Him fast, 
and lead Him away carefully. And forthAvith coming to 
Jesus, he said : Hail, Rabbi. And he kissed Him. And Jesus 
said to him: Friend, whereto art thou come? Judas, dost 
thou betray the Son of man with a kiss?" 

divine patience and forbearance, unspeakable love of 
my Redeemer ! He greets the wretched traitor as ' ' friend, ' ' 
although of all the crimes perpetrated in those dreadful hours 
of the Passion and against the Son of man, there was none 
so despicable, so unnatural, and so damnable, as the crime of 
Judas. In this one act lay, in a certain sense, all the crimes 
and cruelties of the Passion. If Christ was bound and 
dragged into the courts, mocked, spit upon, struck in the face, 
scourged and nailed to the cross, all these indignities may, 
in a certain sense, be traced to the deed of the traitor. And 
who is this traitor ? He is of the household of Christ, a friend, 
an apostle, who had been honored with countless favors, the 
once well-beloved spiritual son of the divine Master. And 
how did this renegade complete his mean work ? By the most 
sacred mark of true love and friendship, a kiss. What a 
monster of ingratitude, faithlessness, and hypocrisy! 

On Avhom is this act of cruel ingratitude perpetrated ? On 
the very person who, during three years, had shown to the 
traitor the tenderest, most magnanimous, and winning love 
and kindness. Consider here how much Christ suffered in this 
hypocritical embrace of Judas. The more refined, deep-seated, 



CHRIST IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE 351 

true, and tender the love of the betrayed one, the more 
keen and cutting the disappointment, when, instead of recipro- 
cal love and fidelity, treachery and hatred were returned. 
Oh, what a reproachful look that must have been which Jesus 
cast upon Judas, as he advanced to embrace Him ! Oh, what a 
heart-piercing question, when Jesus asked : ' ' Friend, whereto 
art thou come?" Oh, how hell must have rejoiced when the 
enemies of Jesus mockingly exclaimed: "One of His own peo- 
ple hath betrayed Him!" Alas, how dreadful must the grief 
of Jesus have been, to see Himself, in the very presence of 
His enemies, betrayed by His own disciple ! 

Kiss of Judas ! What a horribly contradictory expression ! 
But still more horrible is the reflection that this kiss of Judas 
is being constantly repeated ; that Jesus, on the Mount of 
Olives, saw before Him, not Judas alone in the flesh, but 
myriads of traitorous disciples waiting to repeat the sacrilege. 

3. The Arrest op Jesus 

"Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come upon 
Him, Avent forth and said to them : AVhom seek ye ? They 
answered Him : Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith to them : I 
am He. And Judas also who betrayed Him, stood with them. 
As soon, therefore, as He had said to them: I am He, they 
went backward and fell to the ground." 

The holy church-father, St. Augustine, here remarks: "Be- 
hold the power of a single word from the lips of Jesus ! 
Although He raises no sword, the well-armed, boasting, and 
presumptuous gang fall helpless at His feet. If He who was 
about to be dragged to judgment, had such power then, what 
shall He not be able to accomplish when He shall come in a 
cloud of power and majesty to be Himself the judge? If, 
at the point of death. He is so mighty, what will He be when 
in His glory?" 

"Again, therefore, He asked them: AVhom seek ye? And 
they said : Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered : I have told 
you that I am He : if therefore you seek Me, let these go their 
way. That the word might be fulfilled which He said : Of 
them which Thou hast given Me, I have not lost any one. 

"Then they drew near, and laid hands on Jesus and held 
Him. And they that were about Him, seeing what would 
follow, said to Him: Lord, shall we strike with the sword? 



352 CHRIST IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE 

Then Simon Peter, one of those who were with Jesus, stretch- 
ing forth his hand, drew his sword, and struck the servant of 
the high-priest, and cut ott" his right ear. And the name of 
the servant was IMalchus. 

"But Jesus answering, said : Sutler ye thus far. And when 
He had touched his ear. He healed it. Then Jesus said to 
Peter: Put up thy sword into the scabbard, its place; for all 
that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest 
thou that I can not. ask My Father, and He will give Me 
presently more than twelve legions of angels? The chalice 
which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it? 
How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that so it must 
be done? 

"In that same hour Jesus said to the chief-priests and 
magistrates of the temple, and the ancients, and the multi- 
tude, that were come to Him : Are you come out, as it were, 
against a thief, with swords and clubs to apprehend Me? I 
sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and you laid not 
hands on ]\Ie. But this is your hour and the power of dark- 
ness. All this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets 
might be fulfilled. 

"Then His disciples leaving Him, all fled away. A certain 
young man follo\\ed Him, having a linen cloth cast about his 
naked body, and they laid hold on him. But he, casting oft' the 
linen cloth, fled from them, naked. Then the band and the 
tribune and the servants of the Jews took Jesus and bound 
Him." 

And thus was fulfilled what the prophet Jeremias had fore- 
told : "Christ the Lord is taken in our sins: to whom we said. 
Under Thy shadow we shall live among the Gentiles." So, 
too, was verified the prediction of the prophet Zacharias : 
"Strike the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered." 
suffering Jesus, how Thy heart must have bled with pain, 
when, after the flight of Thy disciples, Thou foundest Thyself 
lonely and deserted, given over completely to the ruthless con- 
duct of Thy enemies. Well mayest Thou have said with the 
Psalmist : " I am become a stranger to My brethren. ' ' And 
yet Thou wast not angry at these faint-hearted men; nay, in 
Thy kindness of heart, Thou hadst expressly commanded Thy 
persecutors to leave them unmolested ; for the day of Pente- 
cost had not yet dawned, the glorious Spirit of strength, and 
of wisdom, and of unshaken constancy, had not yet come down 
upon them, and they had not the strength to give testimony 



CHRIST IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE 353 

of Thee when in the hands of Thy enemies. "If, therefore, 
you seek Me, let these go away. ' ' These words are expressive 
of the most distinterested kindness. The Saviour requires a 
sacrifice of heroic fidelity and constancy from His followers, 
only in proportion to the special graces that He has given 
them. 

sublime dignity of the Son of God ! Calm and collected, 
resigned, and yet solicitous about His dear disciples. He ad- 
vances toward His enemies. As the first movement toward 
loosening those bonds of sin and of eternal death fastened 
upon us by Adam when he stretched forth his hand for the 
forbidden fruit, the second Adam, Jesus Christ, stretches 
forth His innocent hands to be tied by the persecutors. But 
first, wishing to make them feel that He is really the Son of 
the living God, and is going to be sacrificed of His own free 
will. He performs in their presence a fourfold miracle. He 
first struck His enemies with blindness, so that, although they 
had witnessed the embrace of Judas, and had thus known 
whom they were to take, they could no longer see the person 
of the Saviour, and laid hands on Him only when He freely 
gave Himself up. Jesus here wished to show the folly and 
uselessness of cunning treachery; for it is written, there is 
neither wisdom, nor prudence, nor counsel against the Lord. 
He next, by a single word, threw the entire crowd on the 
ground, thereby foreshadowing the fate to come sooner or later 
on those who oppose truth and grace. He also prevented the 
Jews from laying hands upon His apostles, though they were 
very much incensed against them, and especially against St. 
Peter. He, and He alone, will give up His life, like the good 
shepherd, for His flock. By a fourth miracle, He healed the 
ear of Malchus, cut off by St. Peter in his impulsive zeal for 
his Master. 

To be sure, the zeal of the true-hearted apostle was not in 
accord with the meek spirit of Christ, and Jesus chided him 
for this rash act, especially as it was not done exactly in 
defense of his captured Master, but was rather an outburst 
of anger and revenge. And yet the action denoted a faithful 
and generous heart. Yet it would seem to be a dispensation 
of Providence ; for, as Moses, who had been appointed the 
Head of the church in the old law, was a brave and intrepid 
defender of the justice and honor of God, it seems becoming 
that a man of the same daring character should be the Head 
and leader of the Church of the New Testament. We may also 



354 THE PASSION NIGHT 

infer from this incident that only such men as love truth and 
justice Avith a decided heart and hate error and wrong vigor- 
ously, are worthy of election by God to govern and teach in 
His kingdom/ 

CHAPTER XIII 

THE PASSION NIGHT 

(Between Holy Thursday and Good Friday) 
Matt. xxvi. 55-75; Mark xiv. 53-72; Luke xxii. 54-65; John xviii. 13-27 

Remain with j^our Redeemer during the weary hours of 
this awful night, and witness the indignities and tortures 
which this faithless and obstinate people will heap upon their 
Lord and Saviour. You will find five principal dismal scenes, 
on which you may gaze and ponder seriously: first, the jour- 
ney of the captured Saviour from the garden of Gethsemane 
to the city of Jerusalem ; secondly, the hearing before the 
high-priest Annas; thirdly, the hearing before his son-in-law, 
Caiphas; fourthly, the first mockery of Christ in the outer 
court of the high-priest's palace; fifthly, Peter's denial. 

1. Jesus is Bound, and then Dragged from Gethsemane 
TO Jerusalem 

"V\Tio can describe or even imagine the diabolical joy and 
low insolence of the soldiers and servants of the high-priest, 
as they dragged our Lord out of the garden, across the valley 
of Josaphat, over the brook Cedron, up to Jerusalem, and into 
the high-priest's palace? But five days previous, our Lord 
had traversed this road ; but, ah, how different the circum- 
stances, how changed the company ! Then, crowds of joyous 
and friendly people pressed around Him, waving green palm- 
branches above His head ; now, swords and clubs are held 
over Him. Then, the attendants sang His praises and de- 
clared Him to be the Son of David and the King of Israel ; 
now, our dear Saviour retraces His steps amid the wild orgies 

^"And in those days, Moses went out to his brethren, and saw their 
affliction; and an Egyptian striking one of his brethren, he slew the 
Egyptian." 

"And Moses returned from the mount, carrying the two tables of the 
testimony in his hand. And when he came nigh to the camp, he saw the 
calf and the dances : and being very angry, he threw the two tables out 
of his hand, and broke them at the foot of the mount" [2 Mos.]. 



THE PASSION NIGHT 355 

and ruthless mockeries of His enemies. The distance from the 
garden of Gethsemane, at the foot of Mount Olivet, where 
our Saviour was apprehended, to the house of Annas, was a 
full mile and a half. Over this distance, by a rough and 
stony mountain-road, our Saviour was hurried along, leaving 
the ground stained with the marks of His bleeding feet. The 
servants who carried the torches went in front; behind them 
followed Jesus, tightly manacled, derided by the servants of 
the priests and Pharisees, and beaten and jostled by the 
soldiers ; the meek and silent Saviour of man bowed down 
with sadness and pain, like an innocent lamb among blood- 
thirsty wolves. He was so tightly bound, and so rudely 
jostled, that He fell down seven different times. Especially 
at the bridge over the brook Cedron, He received a cruel fall; 
for His hands being tied behind Him, His sacred brow came 
violently against the ground, where He lay bleeding and help- 
less, till His enemies, amid shouts of laughter, mingled with 
curses, lifted Him to His feet. They then drove Him with 
clubs and swords up the steep mountain-path of Sion and into 
the city. 

2. Jesus Before the High-Priest Annas 

"And thej^ led Him away to Annas first, for he was father- 
in-law to Caiphas, who was the high-priest of that year. Now 
Caiphas was he who had given the counsel to the Jews : that it 
was expedient that one man should die for the people. And 
Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. And 
that disciple was known to the high-priest, and went with 
Jesus into the palace of the high-priest. But Peter stood at 
the door without. Then the other disciple who was known to 
the high-priest went out and spoke to the porteress and 
brought in Peter. 

"The high-priest then asked Jesus of His disciples and of 
His doctrine. Jesus answered him : I have spoken openly to 
the world ; I have always taught in the synagogue and in the 
temple, whither all the Jews went, and in secret I have spoken 
nothing. Why askest thou Me? Ask them who have heard 
what I have spoken to them; behold they know what things 
I have said. And when He had said these things, one of the 
officers standing by gave Jesus a blow, saying: Answerest 
Thou to the high-priest so? Jesus answered him: If I have 
spoken evil, give testimony of the evil; but if well, why 
strikest thou Me? 



356 THE PASSION NIGHT 

"And Annas sent Him bound to the high-priest Caiphas." 

Annas questioned the Redeemer about His disciples. Alas, 
how keenly Jesus felt the sarcasm contained in this question ! 
Alas, one of them liad betrayed Him, had sold Him to His 
enemies for the paltry sum of thirty pieces of silver, the rest 
had ignobly tied ! The aged villain knew these facts, and took 
delight in rending the heart of the deserted, betrayed, bar- 
tered Saviour. 

And whilst the high-priest, as a preparation for greater in- 
dignities, is thus amusing himself by addressing cruel and 
cutting remarks and cjuestions to Jesus, his servant hastens 
to imitate his master, and amuses himself in a less refined, 
though hardly less cruel manner, and strikes the Lord of 
heaven and earth in the face, and presumes to correct and call 
to order eternal Wisdom itself. Alas, how painfully true was 
the melancholy prediction of the prophet Jeremias: "He shall 
give His cheek to him that striketh Him ; He shall be filled 
with reproaches ! ' ' 

Is it our Saviour who has to undergo this galling insult? 
Our Jesus who is thus slapped in the face and yet utters no 
word of omnipotence to smite the villain to the earth? No; 
the hand which struck the author of life is not withered, while 
the hand which King Jeroboam raised against a prophet was 
instantly paralyzed.^ No; the patient Jesus endures this dis- 
grace meekly, and if He replies to the villainous servant, it 
is only to deny the insinuation that He had been wanting in 
deference to the high-priest. 

3. Jesus Before the High-Priest Caiphas 

In the house of Caiphas, the high-priest, ' ' all the priests and 
the scribes and the ancients were assembled together. And 
Peter followed Him afar off, even to the court of the high- 
priest; and going in, that he might see the end. And when 
they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were sit- 
ting about it, Peter was in the midst of them, and warmed 
himself. 

"The chief-priests and the whole council sought false wit- 
ness against Jesus that they might put Him to death. And 

'"And when the king had heard the word of the man of God, which 
he had cried out against the altar in Bethel, he stretched forth his hand 
from the altar, saying: Lay hold on him. And the hand which he 
stretched forth against him withered, and he was not able to draw it 
back again to him" [3 Kings xiii. 4J. 



THE PASSION NIGHT 357 

they found none, whereas many false witnesses had come in. 
For many bore false witness against Him, and this evidence 
did not agree. And last of all there came two false witnesses, 
and rising up, they bore false witness against Him, saying : 
We have heard Him say, I am able to destroy the temple of 
God, and after three days to rebuild it; I will destroy this 
temple made with hands, and within three days I will build 
another not made with hands. And their testimony did not 
agree. 

"And the high-priest rising up in the midst, asked Jesus, 
saying: Answerest Thou nothing to the things laid to Thy 
charge by these men? But He held His peace and answered 
nothing. Again the high-priest asked of Him and said to 
Him: I adjure Thee, by the living God, that Thou tell us if 
Thou art Christ, the Son of God. Jesus replied : Thou hast 
said it : I am. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you shall 
see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the power of 
God and coming in the clouds of heaven. 

"Then the high-priest rent his garments, saying: He hath 
blasphemed ; what further need have we of witnesses ? Be- 
hold, now you have heard the blasphemy. What think ye? 
But they all condemned Him to be guilty of death." 

' ' And they all condemned Him. ' ' Consider how strictly to 
the letter these words were verified ; how impiety presumed to 
mount the throne of justice and sit in judgment on the Most 
High and Ever Just God. " They all condemned Him. " The 
high-priests, Annas and Caiphas condemned Him as a blas- 
phemer who would make Himself God, and who despised the 
temple of the Lord. The Roman governor Pilate condemned 
Him because, although he considered Him to be innocent, he 
looked upon Him as a man of little or no influence, and hence 
recklessly sentenced Him to be scourged and crucified, lest the 
Jews should raise a sedition and he should lose the favor of 
the emperor. The Galilean prince, Herod, condemned Him 
as a poor imbecile, deserving to be mocked and despised. The 
traitor Judas condemned Him, and treated Him as an animal 
to be sold, and to be bought at a cost of thirty pieces of silver. 
The scribes and Pharisees condemned Him as a false teacher, 
as one possessed by the devil, as a glutton and wine-drinker, 
as an associate of publicans and other sinners, as a disturber 
among the people, and an enemy of Csesar. The Roman sol. 
diers condemned Him as an insane creature who fancied Him- 
self to be a king, and hence they put on Him a purple gar- 



358 THE PASSION NIGHT 

ment. putting a crown of thorns upon His head and a reed 
into His hand, and bowed mockingly before Him. Finally, 
the whole Jewish nation condenmed Him as the worst of men 
and as emineutly deserving death, as a worse culprit even than 
Barabbas. "And they all condenmed Him." 

Since Christ was thus ignominiously treated, can we wonder 
if evil-minded and ignorant men in all ages have presumed to 
sit in judgment on the Church, His spouse, to bring false 
witnesses against her, and to condenni her? But we are not 
deceived or misled by such unjust condenuiations. If tempted 
to grieve and to be angry at the blasphemies, accusations, and 
false testimony brought against the Church of God, we need 
but to turn our eyes on the innocent Jesus, accused falsely and 
condemned falsely, and to say to ourselves : If impiety sat in 
judgment upon the Master, why should it not seek to do the 
same thing to His disciples and representatives? Scandals 
must come, but wo to him by whom they come. 

Our first parents in paradise did speak in order to excuse 
their sin by vain words; our second parent, Jesus Christ, held 
His peace and did not utter a word to vindicate Himself. By 
this humble silence. He atoned, as St. Jerome remarks, for 
the vain excuses of our first parents, as well as for our own 
countless sins of the tongue, teaching us the genuine excel- 
lence and great value of silence. Christ was silent. But now, 
Avhen the high-priest questions Him, in the name of the living 
God and in the matter of Christ's divinity, when the examina- 
tion bears not on the words and deeds of the Son of man, when 
the honor and glory of God are concerned, Jesus breaks silence 
and pronounces solemnly that candid, clear and indubitable, 
unquestionable testimony, which has ever since put to shame 
all those who would fain deny the Godhead of Christ. "Thou 
hast said it ; I am. ' ' That is to say, In the name of the living 
God, I affirm that I am Christ, the Son of the eternal Father. 
The high-priest Caiphas understood the full force and true 
meaning of this answer. For Christ did not mean to declare 
Himself simply a friend or favorite of God, nor such a son 
of God as every good and just man is, but He positively as- 
serted that He was the only begotten, eonsubstanial Son of the 
heavenly Father. It was thus that Caiphas understood His 
declaration. It was in this literal sense that the whole high 
council accepted His statement. Christ even strengthened and 
explained His meaning by adding: "Nevertheless, I say to 
you, hereafter you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right 




Jlartiii F( uerstein 



Cnpynght h\ IJi n/i^i r I'.nitliers 



The Crucifixion 



THE PASSION NIGHT 359 

hand of the power of God and coming in the clouds of 
heaven." Hear this testimony, unjust judge, Caiphas ! 
Rend your garments, unbelieving miscreant ; from the high 
dignity of the priestly chair exhibit your hypocritical horror ; 
affect to be scandalized at this pretended blasphemy; declare 
the speaker to be deserving of death ; send into prison and 
disgrace the Son of God. It is He who stands before you. 
Little do you think that your very hypocritical zeal, your 
cruel and unjust action in this hour, is to serve as a support 
and defense of the Christian faith till the end of time. Thus 
it hath been pleasing to the decrees of eternal wisdom. Your 
own sacerdotal robe which you have just torn in twain is a 
prophetic sign that the priesthood of the Old Testament hath 
passed away forever, and that the veritable high ' ' priest for- 
ever, " Jesus Christ, is about to enter into the sanctuary. 

4. Jesus is Derided for the First Time 

After Christ had received this adverse judgment, the offi- 
cers of the council dispersed and went home, for it was already 
past midnight. Jesus, therefore, was given over to the mercy 
of the soldiers and watchmen belonging to the high-priest's 
department. 

"Then the men who held Jesus bound mocked Him, spit 
in His face. They buffeted Him, and having covered His 
face, they struck Him with their fists, saying: Prophesy unto 
us, Christ, who is he that struck Thee. And blaspheming, 
many other things they said against Him. And the servants 
of the high-priest smote Him with the palms of their hands." 

5. Peter's Denial 

Whilst Jesus was enduring in silence and meekness these 
unparalleled indignities, insults, and tortures from the hands 
of His enemies, still another disgrace was added, wounding 
still more deeply His sorrowful heart. This time the sword 
was sent through His heart by the hand of a friend, the chosen 
apostle, Peter. The evangelists describe the denial of Christ 
by St. Peter as follows : 

"Now when Peter was in the court below, a porteress, one 
of the maid-servants of the high-priest, came, and when she 
had seen Peter sitting by the fire, warming himself, and had 
looked at him, she said: Art not thou also one of this man's 



360 THE PASSION NIGHT 

disciples? Thon also wast with Jesus the Galilean. This man 
also was with Him. But he denied before thera all, saying: 
I am not one of His disciples. AA^mian, I know Him not. I 
neither know nor understand what thou sayest. And he went 
forth before the court, and the cock crew. 

"As he went out of the gate, another maid saw him, and 
she saith to them that were there : This man also was with 
Jesus of Nazareth. They said therefore to him : Art not thou 
also one of His disciples? And after a little Mobile another 
seeing him, said : Thou also art one of them. But Peter de- 
nied again with an oath, and said: I am not; I do not know 
the man. 

"After the space, as it were, of another hour, another man 
affirmed it, saying: Of a truth this man was also with Him, 
for he is a Galilean. And they that stood by came and said 
to Peter: Surely, thou also art one of them. Thou art a 
Galilean, for even thy speech doth discover thee. One of the 
servants of the high-priest, a kinsman to him whose ear Peter 
cut off, said to him : Did I not see thee in the garden with 
Him? Again therefore Peter denied, and he began to curse 
and to swear : Man, I know not what thou sayest. I know not 
this man of whom you speak. And immediately, as he was 
yet speaking, the cock crew again. 

"And the Lord, turning, looked at Peter. And Peter re- 
membered the word of the Lord, as He had said : Before the 
cock crow twice, thou shalt deny Me thrice; and going out, 
he wept bitterly. ' ' 

In truth, Peter had good cause to weep bitterly, to shed 
bitter tears of remorse and contrition. For, as the gospel so 
impressively expresses it, he had denied Jesus before all; he 
had denied his Lord by dissimulation, denied Him by a lie, 
by repeated lies, and by a solemn sworn assertion of falsehood. 
But his repentance was a real and practical penance — a re- 
pentance of the very heart. "Peter went out," that is, he 
left the occasion of sin, fled from further temptation, from 
the scene of his fall, and he "wept bitterly." His penance 
was a lasting penance ; for during the rest of his life he never 
ceased to bewail his unfaithfulness, and to repeat with David : 
' ' For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me. ' ' 



CHAPTER XIV 

THE HIGH COURT SITS IN JUDGMENT ON JESUS 
THE DESPAIR OF JUDAS 

(Good Friday) 

Matt, xxvii. 1-10; Mark xv. 1; Luke xxii. 66 to xxiii. 1 

"And straightway, in the morning, as soon as it was day, 
the ancients of the people and the chief-priests and scribes 
met together, took counsel that they might put Jesus to death, 
and they brought Him before their council, saying: If thou 
be Christ, tell us. And He replied : If I should tell you, you 
would not believe Me; and if I ask you, you will not answer 
Me, nor dismiss Me. But hereafter the Son of man shall be 
sitting at the right hand of the power of God. They all then 
said: Art Thou therefore the Son of God? AVho said: You 
say it, for I am. But they said : What need we any further 
testimony? For we ourselves have heard it from His own 
mouth. 

"And the whole multitude of them rising up, brought Him 
bound, and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate, the governor." 

To all intents and purposes, the high-priests and elders of 
the people had already at their meeting on the previous even- 
ing, pronounced sentence of death on our Saviour. But as, 
according to the rules of the high-council, a sentence pro- 
nounced on a previous evening could not be legally carried 
out, they reassembled on the following morning very early, 
in full attendance, intent, not upon questioning the justice of 
their previous action, or of reconsidering the sentence, but 
simply to confirm legally and formally their rash and unjust 
proceedings of the night before. Caiphas, full of pride and 
self-righteousness, haughtily ascends his throne to examine the 
pure and holy Son of God, and at once Jesus is beset on all 
sides with crowds of witnesses who hurl a shower of false 
charges against His guiltless person. They strive with cun- 
ning and mean artfulness to entrap divine Wisdom in His 
speech, to extort from Him but one word for which they might 
condemn Him. 

"Then Judas who betrayed Him, seeing that He was con- 
demned, repenting himself, brought back the thirty pieces of 
silver to the chief -priests and the ancients, saying: I have 
sinned in betraying innocent blood. But they said : What is 
that to us? look thou to it. And casting down the pieces of 

361 



362 THE HIGH COURT SITS IN JUDGMENT 

silver in the temple, he departed : and went and hanged him- 
self with a halter." 

He was an avaricious miser till the end of his life. All his 
concern was about the thirty pieces of silver, and he hands 
them over to the temple. About his soul, he has no concern, 
for he hands it over to the devil. 

"But the chief-priests havinti- taken the pieces of silver, 
said: It is not lawful to put them into the corbona, because 
it is the price of blood. And after they had consulted to- 
gether, they bought with them the potter's field, to be a bury- 
ing-place for strangers. For this cause, that field was called 
Haceldama. that is, the field of blood, even to this day. Then 
was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremias the prophet, 
saying: And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of 
Him that was valued, whom they prized of the children of 
Israel. And they gave them unto the potter's field, as the 
Lord appointed." 

AVhat hypocrisy on the part of the high-priests ! The holy 
doctor of the Church. St. Augustine, lashes them severely in 
the following words : "What hypocrites ! They scruple to put 
the blood-money into the treasury of the temple, but they 
feared not to pour out the innocent blood itself on their own 
heads." After returning his ill-gotten money, Judas hurried 
out of the city into Gehenna, or the valley of curses, south 
of the city, where he hanged himself on the limb of a fig-tree. 
The Acts of the Apostles add: "He burst asunder in the 
midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known 
to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem." 

Peter and Judas had both sinned against their Lord and 
Master, but the subsequent conduct and fate of each were as 
far different as heaven from earth. Peter turns his eyes to 
his Redeemer and encounters a compassionate look of for- 
giveness. Judas bends his steps to the enemies of Christ, the 
high-priests, and meets with but heartless indifference. Peter 
recognizes the enormity of his crime, but as his intellect is 
unclouded, and his faith still alive, he understands, to his con- 
solation, that the mercy of his Redeemer is infinitely greater. 
The mind of Judas, on the contrary, is obscured by long-con- 
tinued wickedness, and the night of dark despair has settled 
down on his soul. Peter humbles himself and is willing to 
bear the contempt of his fellow-apostles, the privation of his 
previous distinction, the consequences and penalties of his 
sin, and casts himself in penitent resignation into the arms of 



JESUS BEFORE PILATE AND HEROD 363 

God. Judas, in his pride and folly, can not bear the re- 
proaches of the disciples, the contempt of the world, nor the 
qualms of his conscience ; he despairs, and hangs himself. 



CHAPTER XV 

JESUS BEFORE PILATE AND HEROD 

(Goon Friday) 
Matt, xxvii. 11-14; Mark xv. 2-5; Luke xxiii. 3-12; John xviii. 28-38 

1. How THE Church Keeps Good Friday 
Sad and solemn is the aspect of the holy spouse of Christ 
on the anniversary day of His suffering and death. 

In plaintive tones she sings : ' ' There is no beauty in Him 
nor comeliness : He hath become despised and the most abject 
of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with infirmity, and 
His look was, as it were, hidden as if for shame. Surely, He 
hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows. The 
chastisement of our peace M^as upon Him; by His bruises we 
were healed. Oh, all ye that pass by the way, attend and see 
if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow. Blessed be the 
standard by which truth and justice were restored to the 
world. Come, let us fall down and worship and weep before 
the Lord, for by His wounds we have been healed." 

On these and other prophetic words of the Old Testament, 
the Church founds her solemn service of Good Friday, with 
all its beautiful, impressiA^e, and significant ceremonies. In 
reparation to her divine Spouse, for the ignominy heaped upon 
Him on this day by the fickle Pilate, by the malicious Herod 
and the bloodthirsy Jews, the Church wishes to offer to Jesus 
the atoning sacrifice of her most reverent homage, her most 
ardent love and heartfelt sympathy. Hence she opens divine 
service on Good Friday, by an act of the most profound 
reverence — the officiating priest and all his attendants pros- 
trating themselves at the foot of the altar, where, with faces 
touching the earth, they dwell for several minutes in silent 
sorrow upon the mystery of Christ's abasement on Calvary. 
After the reading of a few lessons and prayers, the Passion 
or history of the sufferings and death of Christ is chanted ac- 
cording to the gospel of St. John. This is followed by a 
lengthy series of public solemn prayers for persons of every 
condition in the Church, for persons preparing to enter the 



364 JESUS BEFORE PILATE AND HEROD 

Church, for heretics and schismatics, and finally, for Jews 
and pagans. In order to show the special earnestness with 
which the Church, on this day, prays for friends and enemies, 
each prayer is preceded by a genuflection,* except in the case 
of the prayers for the Jews. Here the bending of the knee is 
omitted, in order to express our dislike and disapprobation 
for their mockery of the Saviour, when they bent the knee 
before Him in derision. 

After the last prayer, the solemn unveiling and adoration 
of the cross take place. This venerable ensign of our salva- 
tion has stood veiled upon our altars since Passion Sunday, 
and now, on Good Friday, it is uncovered with the solemn 
chant, *'Ecce lignum cnicis," etc., "Behold the wood of the 
cross, on which has hung the Salvation of the world ; come, let 
us adore it," that is to say, let us venerate it for His sake who 
redeemed us upon it. 

This unveiling is done gradually at three diiferent stages, 
in order to show that (Tod prepared our redemption, through 
the sulferings and death of Christ, gradually; and that each 
of the three divine persons participated in the great work. 
The cross is then placed upon the altar-steps, and the cele- 
brant, with his attendants and the assembled faithful, makes 
a triple adoration, while the choir chants the Improperia— 
those plaintive lamentations and reproaches in which the 
Saviour charges the Jews and mankind generally with a Avant 
of gratitude to Himself. 

]\Iass is not celebrated on Good Friday, for, on that day, 
when all minds and hearts are occupied with the bleeding 
sacrifice of the cross, the bloodless sacrifice remains unoffered. 
The second host, consecrated at the mass of Holy Thursday, 
is elevated for a brief adoration and then consumed by the 
priest. But this function is not the mass, for there is no 
consecration. The celebrating priest, after purifying the chal- 
ice, then, together with the rest of the clergy, withdraws from 
the altar in profound silence. The few burning tapers are 
extinguished, and all is left in gloom and desolation. 

But let us return to the history of our beloved Saviour's 
passion. 

2. Jesus is Tried Before Pilate 

' ' Then they led Jesus from Caiphas to the governor 's hall. 
And it was morning; and they went not into the hall that 
^Flectamus genua, let us bend the knee. Levate, rise up. 



JESUS BEFORE PILATE AND HEROD 365 

they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the pasch. 
Pilate therefore went out to them, and said : What accusa- 
tion bring you against this man? They answered and said 
to him: If He were not a malefactor, we would not have 
delivered Him up to thee. Pilate therefore said to them: 
Take you Him, and judge Him according to your law. The 
Jews therefore said to him : It is not lawful for us to put any 
man to death. That the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, 
which He said signifying what death He should die.^ 

' ' But they began to accuse Him, saying : We have found 
this man perverting our nation, and forbiding to give tribute 
to Ceesar, and saying that He is Christ the king. 

' ' Pilate therefore went into the hall again, and called Jesus. 
And Jesus stood before Pilate, and the governor asked Him, 
saying: Art Thou the king of the Jews? Jesus answered: 
Sayst thou this of thyself, or have others told it thee of Me ? 
Pilate answered : Am I a Jew ? Thy own nation and the 
chief-priests have delivered Thee up to me. What hast Thou 
done ? Jesus answered : My kingdom is not of this world. If 
My kingdom were of this world. My servants would certainly 
strive, that I should not be delivered to the Jews ; but now 
My kingdom is not from hence. Pilate therefore said to Him : 
Art Thou a king then ? Jesus answered : Thou sayest that 
I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into 
the world, that I should give testimony to the truth. Every 
one that is of the truth heareth My voice. Pilate saith to 
Him : What is truth ? And when he had said this, he went out 
again to the Jews. 

' ' And he said to the chief -priests and to the people : I find 
no cause in this man. And when Jesus was accused by the 
chief-priests and ancients in many things. He answered 
nothing. Pilate again asked Him, saying : Dost Thou not 
hear how great testimonies they allege against Thee ? Answer- 
est Thou nothing? But Jesus still answered nothing to any 
word, so that Pilate the governor wondered very much. But 
they were more earnest, saying : He stirreth up the people, 
teaching all over Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place. ' ' 

We see that our divine Master was brought three times 
before Pilate : first, when His persecutors led Him from the 
high-priest's palace to the officers of the governor; a second 
time, when He was brought back from the court of Herod; 
and lastly, just after His scourging. At the first examina- 

^Naniely by the hands of pagans, such as the E,oman soldiers were. 



366 JESUS BEFORE PILATE AND HEROD 

tion, Pilate openly declared the innocence of Christ; at the 
second, he decided to have Him scourged, although innocent ; 
at the third hearing, he yielded to the insatiable wishes of the 
Jews and handed Him over to be crucified. 

And now our almighty and all-holy Lord of heaven and 
earth, with His hands bound fast together, His body quivering 
with pain, weakness, and abuse ; His divine countenance hag- 
gard and sad with fatigue, loss of rest, and a deep sense of 
His wrongs, stood, like a guilty and abandoned culprit, be- 
fore a heathen judge. All around and behind Him, in the 
open square, surged in turbulent and angry clamor for His 
blood, a miscellaneous city-mob— some residents of Jerusalem, 
others strangers who had come in from far and wide, on the 
occasion of the festival of the great passover. Scattered 
among them might be seen many of the scribes and Pharisees 
who had come with the determination to influence the multi- 
tude against Jesus, to hound on the evil-disposed, and to 
intimidate the few more moderate ones who might be inclined 
to speak or act in His favor. Foremost in the crowd stood 
the chief-priests and the prominent members of the high- 
council preferring to Pilate, who stood upon the marble- 
balcony, three special charges against Jesus : namely, of stir- 
ring up the people by teaching false doctrines, forbidding 
the payment of taxes to Casar, and of wishing to make Him- 
self king. What hypocrites ! They themselves knew that each 
and every one of these charges was untrue. But let us turn 
our attention awhile from this disgusting crowd, and meditate 
upon two expressions uttered at this first sham trial of Jesus. 
One of them came from His own lips, the other is Pilate's. 

' ' I am a king ; for this was I born. My kingdom is not of 
this world." The four evangelists are all agreed and very 
emphatic in their statements concerning the declaration of 
Christ to the Roman governor, that He was a king. Yes, He 
was a king, even in His then degraded condition, and the 
only real and true King of all men. For the Father had 
given Him a threefold royal authority: namely, dominion 
over the minds of men by truth, dominion over the wills of 
men by precept or command, and dominion over the souls of 
men by divine grace. But this dominion is not like that of 
ordinary princes, a dominion of force, for the kingdom of 
Christ is not of this world. The Prince who founded the 
kingdom, the objects to be attained, the goods entrusted to 
it, and the guardians who preside over it, are not of this world, 




ilartin Feuersteia 



The Mother of Sorrows 



JESUS BEFORE PILATE AND HEROD 367 

but from above. And yet, although not of this world, the 
kingdom of Christ is for the world and in the world; that 
is, for all men, great and little, learned and unlearned, rich 
and poor, sinners and saints. It is for them and they must 
obey its laws, listen to its truths, and try to deserve and 
acquire its graces, if they wish to prosper, whether in this 
world or in the next. It is, therefore, extremely absurd and 
unjust for the godless portion of society to attempt to justify 
their iniquitous proceedings against the Church, their rob- 
beries and oppression, by misinterpreting the text of Scrip- 
ture, and saying: "The Church is not of this world; it is 
spiritual, superhuman, and therefore needs not temporal pos- 
sessions, requires no freedom, enjoys no rights." Is it not 
as absurd to say that a man requires neither shelter, food, 
nor raiment, because, as regards his immortal soul, he is not 
of this earth, but comes directly from the hand of God ? Such 
arguments are false and foolish. But we need not wonder. 
The Son of God himself came from heaven, and behold ! the 
rulers of the earth, the scribes and the Pharisees looked upon 
Him as a stranger on the earth who had no rights. They 
deprived Him of tlis clothing, of His freedom, of His very 
life. Why should it fare otherwise with the followers of that 
Christ? 

Again, observe the words of Pilate : ' ' What is truth ? " As 
if, unbelieving heathen that he was, he would have said: 
"Poor fool, why trouble yourself to find out the truth? Why 
bring upon yourself so many perils, so much hatred and op- 
position in your endeavor to make known the truth to men? 
What is truth ? Where is it to be found ? Nowhere on earth. 
For here below all is doubt, error, and fiction. The truly wise 
man is he who does not bother himself about truth, who en- 
joys life, who gives himself up without restraint to the gratifi- 
cation of every momentary pleasure. ' ' What a sad and miser- 
able avoAval ! Paganism makes use of Pilate 's lips to acknowl- 
edge its own impotency to learn or to hold the truth. It 
confesses the dismal truth that all the efforts of its greatest, 
wisest, and most learned philosophers, have led mankind to 
nothing but falsehood. It acknowledges itself unable to solve 
the awfully important problem concerning the soul of man. 
"What is truth?" Observe, too, that paganism makes this 
declaration of its own inefficiency and insufficiency, on the 
very day on which mankind is to be restored to the truth and 
renewed in grace by the atoning sacrifice of the cross. 



368 JESUS BEFORE PILATE AND HEROD 

But, alas ! of this great mystery neither Pilate nor Herod 
has any understanding. Although they had been life-long 
enemies, they become fast friends when opposing the very 
source of truth and persecuting its author. Pilate is in doubt 
about the truth ; Herod, as we shall see from the following 
text, despised and mocked it. 

3, Jesus Before Herod. He is Derided the Second Time 

"Pilate, hearing Galilee, asked if the man were of Galilee; 
and when he understood that He was of Herod's jurisdiction, 
he sent Him away to Herod, who was also himself at Jerusa- 
lem in those days. Herod, seeing Jesus, he was very glad; 
for he was desirous of a long time to see Him, because he had 
hoard many things of Him, and ho hoped to see some sign 
wrought by Him ; and he questioned Him many words, but 
Jesus answered him nothing. The chief-priests and scribes 
stood by earnestly accusing Him. Herod, with his army, set 
Him at naught and mocked Him, and putting on Him a w^hite 
garment, he sent Him back to Pilate. Herod and Pilate were 
made friends that same day ; for before they were enemies to 
one another." 

How gloomy the friendship of the godless who reject Jesus! 
How dismal and unnatural the conspiracy between Jews and 
infidels against the Anointed and His Church ! The pagan 
governor, having often rashly invaded the jurisdiction of the 
Hebrew prince, avails himself of this opportunity to soothe 
the angry Herod, b}^ flattering his vanity, pride, and curi- 
osity, in the delivering of Jesus into his custody. As has been 
already stated, this Herod Antipas was the son of the child- 
slayer, and a frivolous, avaricious, unchaste, and vicious man. 
He lived in open adultery with his brother's wife, had put 
John the Baptist to death, and had frequently sought the life 
of Jesus. Before this hypocrite, murderer, and adulterer, 
must Jesus now take His stand and defend Himself against 
the calumnies of the chief-priests. 

But He holds His peace, for He deems Herod unworthy of 
one word of reply. Wherefore this silence? In the first 
place, it is a well-merited rebuke to Herod for his murder of 
the last and greatest of prophets, and for his licentiousness and 
liypocrisy; for he was a thousand times more undeserving 
than Pilate to hear one word from the pure lips of the Re- 
deemer. In the second place, the charges of the chief-priests 
were so contradictory, absurd, and palpably false, that they 



BARABBAS PREFERRED BY THE JEWS 369 

really deserved no reply. In the third place, Jesus knew that 
it was impossible to justify Himself before such a judge, or to 
repel the charges of His unscrupulous accusers. Finally, in 
the fourth place, our merciful Redeemer wished to atone for 
the vain and false self -justification of men, as well as for the 
false oaths and other perjuries of the godless, and to obtain 
for such sinners the grace of repentance. 

The persistent silence of Jesus casts Herod into a fit of 
unbridled anger. He feels himself rebuked and put to shame. 
Concealing his bad temper, he seeks to vent his spite by in- 
citing his soldiers to mock Jesus. "Then Herod and his 
soldiers mocked Him." A long white garment,^ such as was 
usually worn in eastern lands by poor idiots, was brought out 
and placed upon Christ. Herod, by this proceeding, wished to 
intimate to Pilate: "You see this fool who plotted to make 
himself king, and who, because his ignorant and thoughtless 
followers and the common people run after Him, imagined 
Himself to be of vast importance. But before educated peo- 
ple, such as myself and the chief-priests, His wisdom is blown 
to the winds. His power is nowhere, and He is unable to 
answer a word. There He stands, silent and confused, like a 
stupid idiot." 

CHAPTER XVI 

BARABBAS PREFERRED BY THE JEWS TO JESUS. 

JESUS DELIVERED UP BY PILATE TO BE 

SCOURGED, MOCKED, AND CRUCIFIED 

Matt. xxviii 15-30; Markxv. 6-19; Luke xxiii. 13-25 ; Johnxviii.39 to xix. 16 

1. Pilate Would Like to Liberate Jesus. Barabbas is 

Liberated 
"Pilate, calling together the chief -priests and the magis- 
trates and the people, said to them : You have presented unto 
me this man, as one that perverteth the people, and behold, 
I having examined Him before you, find no cause in Him in 

^This white garment put upon our Saviour at his second mocking must 
not be confounded with the purple mantle thrown by the soldiers on His 
person at the third and fourth mockery. Many commentators hold that 
this white garment was what was usually the candidate's mantle, as 
worn by those among the Romans who sought high honors. Herod, by 
thus clothing Jesus and sending him back to Pilate, seemed to say: 
"Behold, friend Pilate, the presumptuous fool who would fain place 
himself above both of us, by trying to have himself proclaimed king of 
Judea and Galilee." 



370 BARABBAS PREFERRED BY THE JEWS 

those things wherein you accuse Him. No, nor Herod neither; 
for I sent you to him. and behold, nothing worthy of death 
is done to Him. I will chastise Him therefore and release 
Him. 

"Now upon the solemn festival day, the governor was ac- 
customed of necessity to release to the people one prisoner 
whom they would. And he had then a notorious prisoner that 
was called Barabbas, a robber, who was put in prison with 
some seditious men, who in the sedition had committed 
murder. 

"The multitude, therefore, being gathered together, they 
began to desire, as he had ever done to them. Pilate answer- 
ing, saith to the multitude : You have a custom that I should 
release unto you one at the Paseh ; will you therefore that I 
release unto you the King of the Jews? AVhom will you that 
I release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? For 
he knew that the chief-priests had delivered Him up out of 
envy. 

"And as he was sitting on the judgment-seat, his wife^ sent 
to him, saying : Have thou nothing to do with that just man. 
For I have suffered many things this day in a dream on His 
account. 

"But the chief -priests and ancients moved the people that 
he would rather release Barabbas to them and destroy Jesus. 
And the governor answering, said to them: AA^hether of the 
two will you have to be released unto you? But the whole 
multitude together cried out, saying: Not this man, but Bar- 
abbas. Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas. 

"And Pilate again answering, saith to them, desiring to 
release Jesus : What will you, then, that I do to the King of 
the Jews, who is called Christ? But they again cried out: 
Crucify Him, crucify Him. 

"Pilate saith to them a third time: Why, what evil hath 
this man done? I find no cause of death in Him. I will there- 
fore chastise Him and let Him go. But they cried out the 
more with loud voices, requiring that He might be crucified, 
and their voices prevailed ; and they cried the more, Away 
with Him; crucify Him." 

Alas, my dearly beloved Lord and Redeemer, how thy whole 
human nature must have shuddered, on hearing from the 

'According to tradition, Pilate's wife's name was Claudia Procula. It 
is believed by many that, after the resurrection of Christ, she embraced 
Christianity and died in the odor of sanctity. 



BARABBAS PREFERRED BY THE JEWS 371 

hoarse throats of the infuriated mob that dreadful cry: 
' ' Crucify Him ! Away with Him ; crucify Him ! " To death ! 
to the most excruciating death, to the death of the slave and 
the malefactor. This is the return made to Thee by an un- 
grateful people for all Thy love and goodness, virtue, and 
benefits. But still more afflicting to Thy heart than even this 
cry, were the unfeeling words of the Jewish people : ' ' Away 
with Jesus, and release unto us Barabbas ! ' ' With this un- 
mitigated criminal and disturber of the peace, with a mur- 
derer, the perverse people have some sympathy ; they manifest 
even affection for him, and beg to have him for their pass- 
over gift from the governor. But Thee, Lord, their Friend 
and Saviour, they indignantly reject. A choice is offered to 
them, and they do choose, but, alas ! they choose Barabbas in 
preference to Thee ; to Thee who art eternal excellence, ad- 
mirable love and mercy. What incomprehensible, accursed 
blindness of heart ! 

"Away with Him and release unto us Barabbas!" These 
words contain and express both the mystery of the deepest 
degradation and the astounding mystery of divine mercy. 

The very day on which the Jewish people uttered these 
dreadful words, they were commemorating their delivery from 
Egyptian bondage— it was the feast of the Passover. On this 
account, and also because, according to an old and well-known 
tradition among them, it was to be on this feast that their 
second deliverance was to be effected by the promised Messias, 
it had long been customary to liberate each year, on the re- 
turn of the festival, some prisoner. To-day, then, Barabbas 
the murderer is set free. And on this day must Christ die. 
Christian reader, do you discern the mystery ? This Barabbas 
is a striking figure of mankind, who was on this day redeemed 
in the blood of Christ. Man who, by the commission of sin, 
had rebelled against the Most High ; who, by depriving Him- 
self of supernatural life, had become a murderer, he is made 
free, while, in his place, Jesus is made to bear his guilt and 
suffer his punishment. 

2. Jesus is Scourged, Crowned with Thorns, and Derided 
THE Third Time in the Outer Court of the Palace 

Let us proceed now to the consideration of the cruel scourg- 
ing, the crowning of thorns, and the thrice-repeated derision 
inflicted upon our adorable Saviour, as He stands in silent 
meekness in the court of the governor's palace. 



372 BARABBAS PEEFERRED BY THE JEWS 

"Then therefore Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And 
the soldiers platting: a crown of thorns, put it upon His head ; 
and they put on Him a purple garment.^ And they came to 
Him and said: Hail, King of the Jews, and they gave Him 
some blows {J no. xix. 1-3). 

Jesus Christ, tied fast to the pillar, the whole of the upper 
portion of His sacred person exposed to the cruel gaze of the 
mob, and so unmercifully lashed by scourges in the hands of 
six or eight soldiers that His precious blood flows in warm 
streams to the earth, and skin and flesh become one undis- 
tinguishable mass, is the dread picture now before our 
thoughts. Look at it, and behold the atonement made for 
your sins of the flesh, for the effeminacy, luxury, and lust of 
men ! Ah, how cruelly is the prophetic lamentation of David 
fulfilled, "The wicked have wrought'' (plowed or furrowed) 
"on my back; they have lengthened their iniquity!" {Ps. 
cxxvii.). How fully verified the words of the prophet Isaias, 
"From the sole of the foot unto the top of the head, there is 
no soundness therein : wounds and bruises and swelling sores : 
they are not bound up, nor dressed, nor fomented with oil" 
(Isaias i. 6). 

Pilate had sentenced Jesus to be scourged only. But the 
soldiers, who were instigated and prompted by the Pharisees 
and the Jewish priests, would not be satisfied ; and now, even 
now, they would not grant their gasping victim one moment's 
relief, or a chance to regain His exhausted breath. True, the 
executioners who did the scourging are completely worn out, 
but who can count the numbers of those who are panting to 

'As the holy sacrifice of the mass is the bloodless renewal of the 
sacrifice on the cross, and the priest ministering at the altar being the 
representative of the divine-human High-priest, Jesus Christ, therefore, 
the priest, when celebrating Mass, wears upon his person the insignia of 
his suffering Lord. The Amice, or white linen cloth, with which, in 
olden times, the priest used to cover his head, but which he now puts 
around his neck and shoulders, is in memory of the cloth in which the 
Jews enveloped the head of Jesus in the court of Caiphas. The long 
white alb is worn in remembrance of the white garment put on our Lord 
in mockery when before Herod. The cincture or girdle, together with 
the stole and maniple, remind us of the cords with which his persecutors 
tied the body, hands, and neck of Christ. The chasuble corresponds to 
the purple garment, the biretta to the crown of thorns, and the crosier 
in the hand of the bishop to the scepter placed in our Saviour's hand. 
It is thus that the Church obeys, in every particular detail, the precept 
of her divine Founder: "This do ye for the commemoration of me; for, 
as often as you shall eat this bread and drink this chalice, you shall 
show the death of the Lord" [1 Cor. xi]. 



BARABBAS PREFERRED BY THE JEWS 373 

supply their places, and to rival each other in venting their 
diabolical hatred against Jesus? 

In the vicinity of Jerusalem, there grows a species of thorny 
shrub, whose branches are provided with hard, sharp thorns 
about two inches in length, and which are to this day called 
Christ's thorn {spina Christi). Of these the inhuman crea- 
tures platted a crown, and pressed it forcibly upon the head, 
brow, and temples of Jesus. What an unheard-of cruelty ! 
Such infliction had never been done, never been known in the 
history of inhumanity until that hour. And why was this 
new species of suffering undergone by our Lord? The pre- 
diction of the Canticle had to be verified : "Go forth, ye 
daughters of Sion, and see King Solomon in the diadem, 
wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espous- 
als" {C antic, iii. 11). For Christ is the real Solomon, divine 
M^isdom itself. On the day when He signed and sealed His 
eternal covenant with the human race. His faithless mother, 
the Jewish synagogue, crowned Him with a crown of thorns. 
And again, why this strange manner of suffering? Alas for 
the sins of our intellect!— to atone for future pride and re- 
bellion against faith. Moreover, our beloved thorn-crowned 
Saviour wished to show forth His own kingly dignity and the 
fate of His kingdom on earth. He is a king of suffering, whose 
subjects must hold themselves in readiness to suffer affliction 
and even death, as it is written : ' ' And all that will live godly 
in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim. iii. 12). 
Why this infliction on our Saviour's brow? In order to atone 
for our many sins of thought, especially of proud and rebel- 
lious thought. Why again, this mode of suffering ? Alas ! are 
not many of the spiritual and temporal miseries of the human 
race plainly traceable to the devastating wars Avhich are waged 
mostly for the sake of an earthly crown ? Our divine Saviour, 
when He felt the thorny crown penetrating His sacred brow 
on the great day of atonement, foresaw the loss of human life, 
the loss of happiness, the loss of innumerable souls, all effected 
through wars waged in defense of paltry crowns, and in the 
bitterness of His anguish He suffered and atoned therefor. 

3. "EccE Homo:" "Behold the Man" 

When the soldiery conducted the lacerated, bleeding, and 
thorn-crowned Saviour into Pilate's presence, he was shocked 
and frightened at the result of his orders. 

"Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith to them: Be- 



374 BARABBAS PREFERRED BY THE JEWS 

hold I bring: Him forth nnto you, that yon may know that I 
find no cause in Him. (Jesus therefore came forth bearing 
the crown of thorns and the purple garment.) And he saith to 
them : Behold the Man. AVhen the chief-priests therefore 
and the servants had seen Him, they cried out, saying : Crucify 
Him, crucify Him. Pilate saith to them : Take Him you, and 
crucify Him ; for I find no cause in Him. The Jews answered 
him : \Ve have a law, and according to the law He ought to 
die, because He made Himself the Son of God. When Pilate 
therefore had heard this saying, he feared the more. And 
he entered into the hall again: and he said to Jesus: Whence 
art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore 
saith to Him; Speakest Thou not to me? knowest Thou not 
that I have power to crucify Thee, and I have power to re- 
lease Thee ? Jesus answered : Thou shouldst not have any 
power against I\Ie. unless it were given thee from above. 
Therefore he that hath delivered ]\Ie to thee, hath the greater 
sin." 

Ob.serve, even Pilate was himseli' fi'ighlened when he heard 
the awful words, "Son of God." With a shudder, he thought, 
"What if this victim, whom I have ordered to be maltreated, 
should i)ossibly be a superior being, some divine personage?" 

4. Pilate Sentences Jesus to Be Crucified. Pilate's 
Culpability 

"And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release Him. But 
the Jews cried out, saying : If thou release this man, thou art 
not Caesar's friend; for whosoever maketh himself a king, 
speaketh against Caesar. Now when Pilate had heard these 
words, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment- 
seat, in the place that is called Lithostrotos, and in Hebrew 
Gabl)atha. And it was the parasceve of the Pasch, about the 
sixth liour, and he saith to the Jews: Behold your king! But 
they cried out : Away with Him ! away with Him ! crucify 
Him! Pilate saith to them: Shall I crucify your king? The 
chief-priests answered: We have no king but Caesar. And 
Pilate, seeing that he prevailed nothing, but that rather a 
tumult was made, taking water, washed his hands before the 
people, saying : I am innocent of the blood of this just 
man ; look you to it. And the whole people, answering, 
said: His blood be upon us, and upon our children." {Matt. 
xxvii. 24.) 

"And so Pilate, being willing to satisfy the people, gave 



BARABBAS PREFERRED BY THE JEWS 375 

sentence that it should be as they required. And he released 
unto them him who for murder and sedition had been cast 
into prison, Barabbas, whom they had desired ; but he de- 
livered up Jesus, whom he had scourged, to be crucified." 
{Mark and Luke.) 

And now the judicial sentence has been pronounced, and 
the Holy of Holies is sentenced by the mouth of Pilate to be 
put to death, like a common malefactor. The inconstancy of 
the Jewish people, the avarice of the traitor Judas, the craft 
of the Pharisees, the blind incredulity of the Scribes, the 
blood-thirsty hatred of the chief priests, and the cowardly 
selfishness and political cunning of the pagan governor, all 
these culminated in the judicial sentence of Pilate. But, in- 
conceivable miracle ! At the same moment, eternal mercy 
speaks by the tongue of this same Pilate. For, the Lord had 
placed upon His well-beloved Son all our iniquities. Now, in 
order that the sentence of everlasting death, under which 
mankind had fallen by the sin of their first father, Adam, 
might be repealed and annulled, the second Adam, and first 
father of a spiritual humanity, permits the awful sentence 
of Pilate to come upon His divine head. 

Pilate would rather not have pronounced this sentence, and 
was anxious to set Jesus at liberty. With this view he had pub- 
licly and solemnly declared that he could discover no guilt in 
the prisoner accused. AVith the same intent, too, he had placed 
the criminal Barabbas side by side with Jesus, hoping that 
in choosing between two such different persons, the Jewish 
people would certainly decide in favor of the innocent party. 
With the same view he had presented Jesus to them im- 
mediately after the dreadful scourging, and endeavored to 
excite their sympathy by calling their attention to the lacer- 
ated person of their victim. With the same object in view^ 
he had, by Avashing his hands publicly, expressed his dis- 
approbation of the proceeding. But all these feeble and in- 
decisive efforts do not exculpate him, nor even mitigate the 
iniquity of his sentence. 

Pilate, though fully convinced of Christ's innocence, and 
as representative of the Roman emperor, having full power 
to liberate Him, was strongly inclined, on account of his hatred 
to the Pharisees, to save the life of Jesus. But yet, in his 
cunning political adroitness, he sends this just man off to 
Herod. Yet, he delivers Him up to the cruel scourging. Yet, 
he finally yields to the sanguinary demands of the chief priests 



376 BARABBAS PREFERRED BY THE JEWS 

and permits Him to be crucified. Alas ! Pilate is one of those 
unhappy beings, who under pretense of honesty, of philan- 
thropy and of rational compliance, sacrifice to their own 
selfish ends the noblest and holiest principles. How many 
warnings he had received ! The wonderful majesty of Christ's 
presence filled him with involuntary reverence. His own con- 
science told him that this was a just man. His devout wfe 
warned him not to pronounce the unjust sentence, basing her 
admonition on a vision seen in a dream; to which circum- 
stance the pagan Romans paid the greatest attention, con- 
sidering such a dream to be the expression of a divine oracle. 
Yes, even the very eliarge made by the chief-priests, that 
Christ made Himself the Son of God, awoke a momentary 
warning in his heart. Yet, the unhappy governor rejected 
all these salutary admonitions, and for no other motive than 
not to lose the good-will of the emperor. Hence Pilate's end 
was not unlike that of Judas. He afterward fell into despair, 
and as St. Eusebius informs us, died the death of a suicide. 

We have now two very important sayings to consider : the 
saying of the chief-priests, and that of the whole Jewish peo- 
ple. "We have no king but CaBsar; " thus shouted, in the 
name of the Jewish people, their chiefs and leaders. This 
was a remarkable occurrence; for these people thus publicly 
confessed that the scepter had forever departed from Judah, 
and that a foreign king reigned over Israel. Thus they un- 
wittingly admitted that the prophecy of the dying patriarch 
Jacob had been fulfilled, and that the time for the coming 
of the Messias had arrived. But this Messias, the whole 
Jewish people, in the perverse blindness of their hearts and 
heads, rejected when they shouted: "His blood be upon us 
and upon our children. ' ' What a horrible inheritance was 
brought down, by this hideous cry, upon their children and 
their children's children! It was, indeed, a frightful prayer, 
and one which, as a prophecy of a lasting curse, has been 
painfully granted by heaven for centuries, and will continue 
so till the end of time. 

5. Jesus is Derided the Fourth Time 

"Then the soldiers of the governor, taking Jesus into the 
hall, gathered together unto Him the whole band, and stripping 
Him, they (again) put a scarlet cloak about Him. And 
platting a crown of thorns they put it upon His head, and a 
Teed in His right hand ; and bowing the knee before Him, they 



THE WAY OF THE CROSS 377 

mocked Him, saying : Hail, king of the Jews ! And spitting 
upon Him, they took the reed and struck His head." (Matt. 
xxvii. ) 

Such were the cruel amusements of the soldiers, and such 
the hard treatment of our blessed Lord, while others were 
preparing the cross on which the Son of Man was to die. 



CHAPTER XVII 
THE WAY OF THE CROSS 

Matt, xxvii. 31, 32; Mark xv. 20, 21; Luke xxiii. 26-32; John xix. 16-18 

1. Jesus Takes Up His Cross 

"And they took Jesus, and after they had mocked Him, 
they took off the purple from Him, and put His own garments 
on Him and led Him away, to crucify Him. And bearing 
His own cross, He went forth to that place which is called 
Calvary, but in Hebrew, Golgotha." 

When our blessed Lord's eyes first fell upon the cross. His 
human nature shuddered and recoiled for an instant. But 
remembering the copious streams of supernatural grace which 
would gush forth from this dry wood, and flow for centuries 
among men, His soul was gladdened, and with deep emotion 
He clasped the cross in His arms, kissed it, laid it upon His 
lacerated shoulders, and the sad and solemn procession moved 
toward the gate of the city. What a weird and dismal pro- 
cession, even for the streets of this unhappy city! A yelling 
mob of men, curious women, thoughtless children, exulting 
enemies, jealous priests, jeering Pharisees, coarse soldiers, and 
in their midst the Lamb of God tottering under the weight 
of a rough and heavy cross. Three times along the way, 
tradition says, our Lord fell to the ground under His heavy 
burden, and each time He was violently raised again to His 
feet by His unfeeling executioners, who, with loud laugh and 
rude oath, goaded Him forward to the place of death. 

2. He Meets His Afflicted Mother 

Who can conceive the agony of His beloved and loving 
mother on seeing her tenderly-cherished child, her adorable 



378 THE AVAY OP THE CROSS 

Lord and (Jod, thus dishonored and abused. Christian legends 
relate, that innuediately after the capture of Jesus in the 
garden, several of the apostles, particularly St. John, hastened 
to Bethania to break the news to the Blessed Virgin and other 
friends. The holy Mother, who had anticipated this affliction, 
besought St. John to accompany her to Jerusalem, that she 
might see her deserted and desolate suffering son, be near 
Him, and perhaps find an opportunity to offer Him some little 
relief, or at least some words of sympathy and encourage- 
ment. Oh ! what must have been the thoughts and feelings 
of this holy couple as they hurried, side by side, from Beth- 
ania, over the brook Cedron, and up the steep hill into Je- 
rusalem ! And when after traversing, in breathless haste, the 
intervening streets, they reached the palace of Caiphas, what 
a dreadful state of mind was that of the grief-stricken and 
frightened ]\Iary, as she heard within the palace the wild 
laughter and the cruel mockeries with which the soldiers and 
servants taunted the innocent Jesus. Many pious writers are 
of the opinion that Mary, although repeatedly pushed vio- 
lently back by the officers, succeeded in keeping near her 
dear son, whom she accompanied on His painful journey from 
the high-priest's dwelling to the house of Pilate, and to 
Herod 's court, and thus became a witness of His ill-treatment 
and horrible indignities. Alas ! dearest Mother, how thy heart 
must have wildly throbbed with anguish, and terror, and in- 
dignation, at the appalling sight before thee ! Oh ! what must 
have been thy feelings, when, at last, on the road to Calvary 
thou didst find an opportunity to get near to Jesus, to fall 
upon His neck and clasp Him once more, yet living, in thy 
sacred arms ! 

3. Simon of Cyrene Helps to Carry the Cross 

"And as they led Him away," His strength failed Him, 
and ' ' they found a man of Cyrene, who passed by, coming out 
of the country, named Simon, the father of Alexander and of 
Rufus. Him they forced to take up His cross; and they laid" 
it "upon him to carry after Jesus." 

The officers adopted this measure, not out of compassion for 
Jesus, but because they perceived that He was fast losing the 
little strength left in Him after His scourging and other ill- 
treatment, and they began to fear that He might die on the 
way, and thus escape crucifixion. This Simon of Cyrene was 
one of the humblest class of ^^eople^ a gardener, who came 



THE WAY OF THE CROSS 379 

every spring to Jerusalem for employment, and even he shrank 
from the carrying of the cross, for it was always the work of 
the lowest malefactors, and besides it was covered with the 
blood of Jesus. 

4. Veronica and the Sorrow^ing Women of Jerusalem 

''And there followed Him a great multitude of people, and 
of women, who bewailed and lamented Him. But Jesus, turn- 
ing to them, said : Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over Me, 
but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For behold 
the days shall come wherein they will say. Blessed are the 
barren, and the wombs that have not born, and the paps that 
have not given suck. Then shall they begin to say to the 
mountains : Fall upon us ; and to the hills : Cover us. For 
if in the green wood they do these things, what shall be done 
in the dry? And there were also two others, malefactors, led 
with Him, to be put to death. ' ' 

Among the tender-hearted women who pushed their way 
through the crowd to be near Jesus, and to offer Him their 
sympathy, was one in particular, named Veronica, of whom 
reliable tradition relates a very touching incident. She was a 
lady of wealth and position, whose name was Seraphia, and 
lived in a house on a street through which Jesus was to pass 
on His way to Calvary. Seeing Him, as He drew near, weak 
and tottering, covered with perspiration and blood, her heart 
was touched with compassion. She hastened into the street, 
forced her way through the wild crowd, and, undismayed by 
the threats of the officers, came before Jesus, and falling on 
her knees, offered Him a handkerchief, saying : Be pleased, 
Lord, to wipe Thy suffering face with the handkerchief of 
Thy unworthy handmaid. Jesus, full of gratitude, looked 
benignantly at the tender-hearted woman, took the cloth and 
applied it to His face, and, much refreshed and relieved, 
handed it back to Seraphia. He passed on, and she re- 
entered her dwelling, when, lo ! a miracle. On looking at the 
handkerchief, she saw imprinted upon it the likeness of the 
divine countenance. Thus did our Lord repay the kindness 
of His servant. Seraphia became a Christian, taking the 
name of Veronica.^ The miraculous impression of the face 
of Jesus passed into the hands of Pope Clement, and has since 
remained one of the most cherished relics of the Church. 

^From the two words vera and icon; meaning true image. 



CHAPTER XVIII 
THE CRUCIFIXION 

Matt, xxvii. 33-43; Mark xv. 22-32; Luke xxiii. 33-38; John xix. 18-24 

1. Jesus is Nailed to the Cross. The Soldiers Divide 
His Garments Among Themselves 

Jesus was nailed to the cross ! Have you ever seriously in- 
quired, Christian reader, why our Lord chose death by cruci- 
fixion, and not by beheading, stoning, or some other mode? 
The manner of our Saviour's death, as well as all other cir- 
cumstances connected with His life upon earth, and especially 
with His holy passion, has a special and mysterious significa- 
tion. In the first place, as it was from the wood of a tree in 
Eden, that death had its rise, it was becoming that new and 
regenerate life should proceed from the wood of the cross. 
As the evil spirit had overcome our first father by the fruit 
of a tree, he should now be himself overcome by our second 
Father, by the tree of the cross. Secondly, our Lord had 
taken upon Himself our curse of sin, in order to free us from 
that curse; hence He chose to die the death of the accursed. 
As St. Athanasius observes. He chose the death on the cross ; 
for it is written in the fifth book of Moses: "He is accursed 
of God that hangeth on a tree." Thirdly, Jesus was to be 
the king of martyrs, and as such, wished to combine in His 
death all the various sufferings of martyrdom, and hence chose 
the most excruciating of all martyrdoms, in the death on the 
cross. Finally, it was becoming that the high-priest and 
victim of the New Testament should, like the victims in the 
sacrifices of the Old Testament, be elevated on high, when 
offered up to divine justice; that He should perform His sac- 
rifice while hanging between heaven and earth, for by it 
heaven and earth were to be re-united; and that He should 
expire with outstretched arms in order to embrace all the 
redeemed. 

Such were the decrees of divine mercy, which even the 
malice of the Jewdsh priests and Pharisees was instrumental in 
carrying out to the letter. For these people, in their diabolical 
hatred for Jesus, had but one wish, and that was to put Him 
out of the world by the most dishonorable and torturing death, 
as is written in the book of Wisdom : "We will condemn Him 
to the most ignominious death " They knew that the Romans 
punished rebels and those who found fault with Roman juris- 

380 



THE CRUCIFIXION 381 

diction, by crucifixion, and hence these enemies of our Lord 
urged strenuously and chiefly against Him charges of dis- 
loyalty to the emperor of Rome ; saying that He wished to 
make Himself king, and incited the passions of the people for 
that object. Barabbas, the rebel, was to have been crucified, 
but the wicked Jews must substitute Jesus, and hence they 
clamor vociferously and determinedly, Crucify Him ! crucify 
the Nazarene, and release Barabbas ! Let us listen to the 
words of the evangelists : 

"And they bring Jesus into the place called Golgotha, which 
being interpreted, is the place of Calvary. And they gave 
Him to drink wine mingled with myrrh and gall, and when 
He had tasted. He would not drink. There they crucified 
Him, and with Him two others, robbers, one on the right and 
the other on the left, and Jesus in the midst. And the scrip- 
ture was fulfilled which saith : And with the wicked He was 
reputed. ' ' 

' ' The soldiers, therefore, when they had crucified Him, took 
His garments (and they made four parts: to every soldier a 
part), and also His coat. Now the coat was without seam, 
woven from the top throughout. They said then one to an- 
other : Let us not cut it, but let us cast lots for it whose it 
shall be. That the Scripture might be fulfilled, saying : They 
have parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture 
they have cast lot. And the soldiers indeed did these things, 
and sat down and watched Him." It was about the third 
hour when they crucified Him. 

Thus the prophecies of the Old Testament were all fulfilled, 
one after another, in Christ. Even that diabolical malice 
which would not permit His executioners to give Him the 
ordinary draught of drugged wine, usually administered on 
such occasions to partly refresh and partly stupefy the suf- 
ferer, till they had first rendered it unpalatable by mixing 
vinegar and gall with it, had been foretold by the Psalmist: 
"And they gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they 
gave me vinegar to drink. ' ' 

Another, and a more shameful indignity, was cast upon the 
Saviour, by the stealing of His clothing. And then the agony 
caused by this stripping of His garments ! All His clothing 
had been pressed into His torn flesh, partly by the cords with 
which He was bound, and partly by the weight of the cross ; 
and now that the wounds were all torn open again, the suf- 
ferings of the Saviour must have been appalling. 



382 THE CRUCIFIXION 

Then the soldiers seized Him, threw Him down violently 
upon the cross, stretched out His arms, and drove through 
His feet and hands, with dreadful violence, the nails which 
were to hold Him to the planks; as had been foretold by the 
prophet: They have dug my hands and feet, they have num- 
bered all my bones. Who can conceive the awful pain which 
must have convulsed the entire frame of Jesus at each heavy 
blow of the hammer, and again at the rude, and jostling, and 
tedious uplifting of the cross itself ! 

2. The Inscription on the Cross. Jesus Again Derided 

"Pilate wrote also an inscription or title," in large legible 
characters, according to the custom of the Komans, and put it 
upon the cross of Jesus, "over His head," denoting the 
cause for which He sutTered. "And it was written: Jesus of 
Nazareth, King of the Jews; and it was written in Hebrew, 
Greek and Latin. This inscription many of the Jews read; 
because the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the 
city. The chief priests, therefore, of the Jews, said to Pilate : 
Write not the king of the Jews, but that he said, I am the 
king of the Jews. Pilate answered : What I have written, I 
have written." 

Admirable dispensation of Providence! The decree of the 
Eternal Father guides the very hand of the unjust judge to 
write in the inscription no other charge and no other cause 
of condemnation but that Jesus was really and truly the 
Messias foretold by the prophets, as a Nazarene, and as king 
of the Jews. Of this inscription we are daily and hourly 
reminded by the four letters^ which we see at the top of every 
crucifix. These remind us also of another mysterious inscrip- 
tion or hand-w-riting, alluded to by St. Paul in his epistle to 
the Colossians: "blotting out the hand- writing of the decree 
that was against us, he hath taken the same out of the way, 
fastening it to the cross. ' ' What is the meaning of this hand- 
writing? It is nothing more nor less than the sin-record of 
men, on which, equally through the particular undersigning 
of the sinner, rests the sins and iniquities of all mankind, and 
their well-deserved punishments stand recorded. Rejoice and 

^The four letters I. N. R. J. are the initial letters of the Latin words, 
Jesus Nazarenus Rex Judaorum, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. 
Pilate had this inscription written also in Greek and Hebrew, thus 
unwittingly giving testimony to the universal application of the sacrifice 
of the cross to East and West — to all nations. 



THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF JESUS 383 

be glad, sinful humanity ! This bill of indictment has been 
nailed to the cross, and cancelled by the saving blood of the 
high priest, Jesus Christ. Henceforward no single creature 
shall be lost on account of his sins, for if he be lost, it will be 
only because he failed to apply this saving blood to his soul, 
by faith, hope and obedience. 

Look up, then, with gratitude and confidence to the great 
High-Priest on the cross. Consider how willingly He offers, 
in bleeding sacrifice to His heavenly Father for our sins. His 
divine-human life. Eternal justice is now vindicated, and the 
arms of the Eternal Father are once more open to receive 
humanity redeemed in Christ. lamentable blindness of the 
people, culpable perversity of their leaders ! Instead of sur- 
rounding the cross to repent, and to share in its blessings, 
they hurl still further insulting reproaches and blasphemies 
against the crucified Jesus. 

"And they that passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their 
heads, and saying: Vah, Thou that destroyest the temple of 
God, and in three days buildest it up again, save Thyself; 
if Thou be the Son of God, save Thyself, coming down from 
the cross. Now the people stood looking on, and mocked 
Him. In like manner also the chief-priests, mocking, said 
with the Scribes and ancients, one to another : He saved others. 
Himself He can not save ; if He be the king of Israel, let Him 
now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 
Let Christ, the king of Israel, come down now from the cross, 
that we may see and believe. Let Him save Himself, if He be 
Christ, the elect of God. He trusted in God, let Him deliver 
Him now, if He is pleased with Him; for He said, I am the 
Son of God. And the soldiers also made sport with Him, 
coming and offering Him vinegar, and saying : If Thou be the 
king of the Jews, save Thyself. And the self-same thing the 
thieves also that were crucified with Him, reproached Him." 



CHAPTER XIX 
THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF JESUS 

Matt, xxvii. 45-50; Mark xv. 33-37; Luke 23, 24, 39-46; John xix. 25-30 

During the space of three long, tedious and dreadful hours, 
Jesus hung upon the cross, dying. And as we stand in silence 
by the side of this sad and dreary death-bed of our Saviour, 



384 THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF JESUS 

we should strive not to lose a syllable of the few final words 
that He will utter, before He breathes His last agonizing 
breath. With pious eagerness listen to the mysterious inter- 
cessory prayer, which the great High Priest, during these 
hours of sacrifice, sends up to His heavenly Father for His 
disciples and for all future Christians, for the entire church 
with her prelates and pastors, for His enemies of the hour, 
and for all persecutors in time to come. But who can or dare 
penetrate into these secret mysteries of Jesus' heart as it 
languished through its three hours' agony? In presence of 
this sublime sacrifice, where Jesus Christ is at once the high 
priest and the suffering, throbbing, dying victim, let us bow 
down in mingled sentiments of embarrassment and awe, of 
love and gratitude. Our dying Saviour wishes to impart to 
us as it were a taste of these unfathomable mysteries, when 
He pronounces these seven last words. AVondrous words they 
are, teeming with power to fortify us in our faith, to confirm 
our hope, and to inflame our love. Let us listen eagerly and 
attentively to these parting words of our dying Saviour, 
treasure them up carefully, bury them deeply and perma- 
nently in our heart of hearts. Our dying friend and Father 
is declaring His last will and testament. Listen ! 

1. "Father, Forgive Them, for They Know Not What 

They Do" 

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." 
{Luke xxiii. 34.) 

What a prayer at such a moment! Though the Redeemer 
has been racked and tortured, both in body and mind, to a 
degree beyond all conception, yet He has more compassion and 
more solicitude for His unrelenting persecutors than for Him- 
self. His soul is more keenly pained at the thought of the 
eternal condemnation awaiting these blinded creatures, than 
by all the insulting reproaches which they continue to spew 
out at Him in this hour of His extremest anguish. Yet, 
before uttering His complaining cry of desolation and of aban- 
donment by His Father, before comforting His beloved dis- 
ciple or even His afflicted Mother, He prays for those merciless 
enemies of His, who in their persistent, culpable, and passion- 
ate blindness, will not recognize and acknowledge His divin- 
ity: "Forgive them, Father! the guilt of their blindness 
and ignorance." Thus lovingly and mercifully did our 



THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF JESUS 385 

Saviour deal with His enemies. Love of enemies is the text 
of the first sermon preached from the pulpit of the cross. 

2. "Amen, I Say to Thee, This Day Shalt Thou Be With 
Me in Paradise" 

"And one of those robbers who were hanged, blasphemed 
Him, saying: If Thou be the Christ, save Thyself and us. 
But the other answering, rebuked him, saying: Neither dost 
thou fear God, seeing thou art under the same condemnation ? 
And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our 
deeds ; but this man hath done no evil. And he said to Jesus : 
Lord, remember me when Thou shalt come into Thy kingdom. 
And Jesus said to him : Amen, I say to thee, this day thou 
shalt be with Me in paradise." {Luke xxiii.) 

The figures and prototypes of the Old Testament are being 
realized. Joseph, who was a prototype of Christ, found him- 
self, in the days of his degradation in Egypt, placed between 
two malefactors; to one of whom he foretold his rehabilita- 
tion, to the other his coming condemnation. And Christ too, 
as He hangs dying upon the cross, between two convicts, is 
also a prototype; for on the great judgment day He will 
appear before our eyes, similarly attended, with the just upon 
His right and the reprobate upon His left hand. 

And who was this highly-favored individual, whose privi- 
lege it was to be the first to reap the fruits of Christ 's suffer- 
ings, and to hear these words of consolation ? Holy Scripture 
furnishes neither his name nor his previous history ; designat- 
ing him, together with his companion in suffering, as a public 
robber. The robber recognizes his guilt, regretfully confesses 
it before the whole world, and is willing to suffer the temporal 
punishment incurred. "We suffer justly, for we receive the 
due rewards of our evil deeds." that every sinner would 
understand what value such an humble self-accusation has in 
the eyes of our divine judge ! In heartfelt sympathy and with 
generous charity, he defends the friendless Jesus, and by testi- 
fying to His innocence, averts from him, to the best of his 
power, the blasphemous rebuke of the impenitent thief, say- 
ing: "This man hath done no evil." Consider the circum- 
stances attentively. At a moment when all were hurling jeers, 
insults and blasphemies at the dying Jesus, when His own 
disciples had either denied or deserted Him, this criminal 
fearlessly acknowledges the innocence of the Redeemer, 
Whence come the courage and the strength to make this open 



386 THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF JESUS 

profession of faith? From supernatural love, which is 
mightier than death itself. Now turning his head, he looks 
imploringly at his Saviour, and says: "Lord, remember me 
when Thou shalt come into Thy kingdom," What a living 
faith ! This man sees at his side a deserted, destitute victim 
nailed to a cross, a malefactor covered with wounds, and con- 
demned to the most disgraceful of deaths; but looking as he 
does, with the eye of faith, he discovers in this wounded and 
dying culprit, the Lord, the King to whom the kingdom be- 
longs, that God who possesses both power and grace sufficient 
to forgive all sin. And although he had wasted and lost his 
whole lifetime in wrong-doing, he turns with confidence to 
his divine IMaster and King, and sues for pardon. What a 
courageous hope ! He asks not for any earthly favor, nor for 
relief from his sufferings, nor for release from impending 
death. His soul yearns eagerly for one look of mercy from the 
eye of the crucified Jesus, only one look like unto that which 
was given to the penitent Peter, forgiveness of his many sins, 
and a gracious kindly remembrance by Jesus in the kingdom 
of heaven. 

3.* 'Woman, Behold Thy Son" 

' ' Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His 
mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. When 
Jesus therefore had seen His mother, and the disciple stand- 
ing, whom He loved. He saith to His mother : Woman, behold 
thy son." {John xix.) 

In the midst of His agony, Jesus sees at the foot of His 
cross four faithful, deeply-sympathizing friends ; three women 
and one man. Of these four persons, who in this hour of 
darkness and despair, persevered with courage and resolution 
in adJiering to their disgraced and fallen Lord, three belonged 
to the weaker sex. This circumstance reflects undying honor 
on the devout female sex, and foreshadows prophetically 
woman's fearless devotion to the cause of Christ for all time 
to come. 

Mary, my mother of sorrows! As thou standest under 
the cross, with what awful and real precision is fulfilled the 
dismal prophecy of Simeon, uttered three and thirty years 
before. That threatened sword is really now piercing thy 
bleeding heart. But I can not conceive nor describe thy 
suffering, for the lamentation of Jeremias is now being veri- 
fied in thee. * ' To what shall I compare thee ? or to what shall 



« 



THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF JESUS 387 

I liken thee, daughter of Jerusalem? to what shall I equal 
thee that I may comfort thee, virgin daughter of Sion? 
For great as the sea is thy sorrow: who shall heal theef" 
Yet, my love discovers and appreciates to some extent what 
thou hast suffered. In thy own soul, thou didst bear every 
wound of Jesus' body, every thorn of His painful crown, and 
the very nails which pierced His feet and hands. His every 
pang was a pang in thy tender sympathizing soul, for your 
hearts were but as one heart. And yet, like a heroine, thou 
standest erect beneath the cross. Worthy and heroic mother 
of the great high-priest and victim, thou dost bravely unite 
thy sacrifice with His, and offerest it up to divine justice for 
the salvation of mankind. 

Down upon this grieving mother at the foot of the cross, 
the dying Jesus looks intently. Ah ! how tenderly she had 
loved Him all through life; how anxiously she had cherished 
Him, in her solicitude for His comfort and happiness; how 
many cares she had borne ; how many trials and privations suf- 
fered in silence for three and thirty years. Alas ! how lonely 
now! St. Joseph is dead, and Jesus is in His agony. Who 
is left to be her stay and comfort amid the trials and tribula- 
tions of her declining years ? But hark ! a voice from the 
cross: "Woman, behold thy son!" They are the words of 
Jesus. He is appointing St. John, the stainless, pure, virginal 
St. John, as His own successor in His mother's affections. The 
beloved disciple, ' ' whom Jesus loved, ' ' the loyal, all-believing, 
all sacrificing John, is now assigned to the honorable position 
of son, friend, counsellor and protector of the childless Virgin 
Mary. For her, indeed, the exchange is a sad one : to replace 
the Son of God by the son of a fisherman, an adopted child in 
lieu of her own offspring. But the patient Mary cheerfully 
accepts the choice made for her by Jesus. She answers on this 
solemn occasion in the self-same words which years before she 
uttered, when the glorious mystery of her election to the 
motherhood of God was announced to her, namely: "Behold 
the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to 
Thy word. ' ' 

4. "Behold Thy Mother" 

' ' After that, Jesus saith to the disciple : Behold thy mother ! 
And from that hour the disciple took her to his own." {John 
xix. 27.) 

Much indeed to be envied is this holy apostle St. John, 



388 THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF JESUS 

deemed, as lie was by Christ, worthy of so distinguished a 
privilege as to be permitted to call the Queen of heaven and 
earth by the sweet name of mother. Holy eonnnentators ob- 
serve the name of John is not again mentioned in the gospel 
narrative; that favorite of Jesus being always designated as 
"the disciple," in order to signify that every one who is a 
true disciple of Christ, and adheres faithfully and stead- 
fastly to the cross, is in truth a child of Mary, and as such 
enjoys a claim on her maternal love and powerful intercession. 
Here, too, is a glorious mystery. In the same moment that 
Jesus, the only-begotten son of Mary, expires on Calvary, she 
becomes mother of the redeemed, and, in the person of St. 
John, adopts the whole human family as her own children. 
Such were the terms of the last will and testament of our 
dying Sa\'iour, dictated from His death-bed, the blood-stained 
cross, in order that we should honor and love the sweet and 
holy Virgin, as our heavenly Mother. 

5. "IMy God. My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?" 

' ' And now the sixth hour was come : and from the sixth 
hour there was darkness over the whole earth, until the ninth 
hour, and the sun was darkened. And about the ninth hour, 
Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying: Eli! Eli! lamma 
sabacthani ? which is, being interpreted : My God ! my God ! 
why hast Thou forsaken Me ? And some of the standers-by, 
hearing, said: Behold, He calleth Elias. " 

Observe here how the creature has risen up against his Cre- 
ator, the chosen nation against its Messias, in the vain effort 
to extinguish and stifle upon the cross eternal, uncreated light. 
In presence of this awful crime the very sun hides his face, 
and all nature puts on a darkling mantle of terror and gloom. 
So marked and general was this unnatural and untimely 
darkness, so appalling this disturbance in the elements, that 
the heathen nations were much terrified, and made a record 
of it in their state-papers and documents. This last fact we 
learn from an epistle written in the year 164, by Tertullian, 
and addressed to the dignitaries of the Roman Empire. In 
this letter, he speaks of this remarkable event at the death of 
Christ, and reminds them that they had a record of it in the 
city of Rome; saying, "You yourselves have this occurrence 
recorded in your government-annals. ' ' This darkness was not 
the effect of a natural eclipse caused by the moon passing 
between the sun and the earth; for it being the time of the 



THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF JESUS 389 

Easter full moon, such an eclipse was simply impossible. It 
was really a miracle wrought by Divine Omnipotence, who 
commanded the great luminary of day to withhold its light 
during the hours that our Saviour hung upon the cross. It was 
awfully and strikingly significant of that black pall of in- 
iquity, with which the Jewish people had shrouded them- 
selves and their future generations till the end of time. It 
was the fulfilment of the old prophecy uttered by Amos: 
"And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, 
that the sun shall go down at mid-day, and I will make the 
earth dark in the day of light." Now at last the Jews had 
that "sign from heaven," which, in the malice of their un- 
belief, they had once mockingly asked for from Jesus, and of 
which, too, the Egyptian darkness of 1500 years previous was 
an ominous figure. Blinded nation that they were ! They 
refused to open their eyes and to duly recognize the soft 
sweet light which three and thirty years before had lit up 
Bethlehem on Christmas night. Therefore the darkness of 
night and of spiritual death, settles down upon them in the 
midst of day. 

From the silent depths of this mysterious gloom, the voice 
of Christ is heard, uttering in solemn tones the words: "Eli! 
Eli ! lamma sabacthani 1 ' ' "My God ! my God ! why hast Thou 
forsaken Me?" So fully and completely did our Saviour 
wish, out of His love for sinful mankind, to bear the penalties 
inflicted by divine justice, to taste the veriest bitterness of 
the death-agony, that He shrouded His very soul in that 
darkness of desolation and of abandonment by His eternal 
Father, which the sins of men had brought down upon their 
guilty souls. He died thus in order to secure for us the nearer 
presence of a merciful God in our death-hour. 

6. "I Thirst" 

' ' Afterward, Jesus knowing that all things were now accom- 
plished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said: I thirst. 
Now there was a vessel set there full of vinegar. And one 
of the standers-by, running, took a sponge and filled it with 
vinegar, put it on a reed of hyssop, put it to His mouth, and 
gave Him to drink, saying with the others: stay, let us see 
whether Elias^ will come to deliver Him." 

^A sarcastic and sneering distortion of the expression, Eli! Eli! 
lamma Sabacthani? uttered by Jesus a few minutes previously. 



390 THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF JESUS 

Well might the divine Sufferer thirst ! for, since the chalice 
of the last supper on the previous night, a period of twenty 
hours, no drink had moistened His parched lips, save the few 
bitter drops of gall administered just before the crucifixion, 
mingled as they were with the blood that flowed down from 
His thorn-pierced brow. Extreme thirst it must have been; 
for every one of His countless wounds had served as a drain 
upon His life's blood, allowing it to escape drop by drop, till 
all moisture was drawn from His system, and the very well- 
springs of vitality were exhausted. During the space of 
twenty successive hours He had been abused, dragged hither 
and thither, scourged, punished in every conceivable manner, 
and was so completely worn out that a racking, burning fever 
must have been consuming every portion of His frame. The 
rough iron nails must have burned His hands and feet like 
red-hot irons. The stripes of the lash on His flesh must have 
been so many furnaces of fierce inflannnation. His sacred 
head must have been all on fire with fever and pain from the 
effect of the penetrating thorns. His limbs were well nigh 
drawn from their sockets; the weight of His whole body as it 
hung upon the cross must have produced an intolerable 
anguish and exhaustion. Shockingly depleted, therefore, as 
His whole system was, the consequent thirst must have been 
intolerable. His plaintive cry in the midst of this intense 
sutt'ering. His acknowledgment of a desire for a drop of cool, 
refreshing water, should strike terror into our thoughtless 
hearts. He who made the waters of the ocean. He who caused 
the fountains of the earth to well over with life-giving Avaters 
for man and beast, says, solemnly and plaintively: "I 
thirst." 

And now. Christian reader, direct your attention to Mary, 
our sorrowful Mother. "I thirst," exclaims her beloved son; 
and the mother who had at all times cared for her child with 
indescribable fidelity, who at every moment of her life was 
ready to shed her heart's blood for Him, can only look up 
in despair upon His dying countenance, to detect the parched, 
swollen and trembling lips ; but she can not relieve Him. 
She, the chosen Mother of God, the Queen of heaven and 
earth, has not even a drink of cold water to extend to her 
gasping child Jesus. "I thirst," He exclaims from His lofty 
station of pain and humiliation on the cross, and the agonized 
mother can not help Him in His distress. Who can describe, 
who can conceive the heart-rending perplexity of the Mother 



THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF JESUS 391 

of Sorrows in this most pitiable of all situations ? Words fail 
us in this extremity of human suffering. 

Moreover, our Saviour experienced another kind of thirst 
besides the mere natural thirst of lips and tongue. He 
thirsted for the salvation of immortal souls created by the 
hand of His eternal Father. This spiritual thirst of our Lord 
was even more keen and intense, if possible, than bodily thirst. 
At every moment, He beheld in spirit, the countless myriads 
of men, who, although marked with the blood of redemption, 
although admitted by the doors of baptism into the ranks of 
the redeemed, would nevertheless be lost, because of their for- 
getfulness of the Redeemer Himself. For such unhappy souls 
does the Son of Man thirst with extreme ardor of love, and 
yet even at His left hand, and within sound of His voice, the 
impenitent thief refuses to give Him his soul. 

7. "It is Consummated, Father, Into Thy Hands I Com- 
mend My Spirit" 

''Jesus, therefore, when He had taken the vinegar, crying 
with a loud voice, said : It is consummated ; Father, into Thy 
hands I commend My spirit. And saying this, and bowing 
His head. He gave up the ghost." 

Solemn and terrible moment ! Since the dawn of Creation, 
the world has never witnessed such a moment of horror : it 
will never see such again. On the heights of Calvary, a sullen 
silence has now settled down. Not a sound is heard, save the 
suppressed groans of "the beloved disciple," the stifled sobs 
of the grieving, penitent Magdalen, or the occasional deep- 
drawn sigh of the sorrowing mother of the dead Jesus. But 
in the heights of heaven, the scene is different. Along its 
vaulted roofs, resounds a song of joy and exultation; the 
choirs of angels intone a chant of praise and thanksgiving, 
and sing : ' ' The lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power, 
and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, 
and benediction. Great and admirable, Lord, are Thy 
works. Lord God Almighty, king of heaven and earth. All 
nations shall come and fall down before Thee, and adore 
Thee; for Thy justice hath been made known to men." 

Ite, missa est! Yes, go now; the sacrifice is completed. 
You have been present in spirit, in intellect, but above all in 
sorrowing yet joyful heart at the solemn act of the world's 
redemption ; at that glorious sacrifice to the eternal Father, 
celebrated and offered up by the King of martyrs and the 



392 MIRACULOUS EVENTS AT THE 

Priest of all priests, Jesus Christ, ou the altar of the cross, 
in the midst of countless angels. You have seen fulfilled to 
the letter all that the patriarchs and prophets have, bj'- word 
and deed, foretold and pretitxured for thousands of years. All 
that a merciful God had decreed from all eternity, all that 
He promised to our lirst parents in Eden, has been fully 
realized. All that the souls of the just in limbo, and the pious 
and good on earth had prayed and longed for, has been hap- 
pily accomplished ; namely, the redemption and eternal salva- 
tion of the human race. It is consummated. 



CHAPTER XX 



MIRACULOUS EVENTS AT THE DEATH OF JESUS. 

HIS SIDE IS PIERCED. THE DESCENT FROM 

THE CROSS. THE BURIAL. HE APPEARS 

TO THE SOULS OF THE JUST IN LBIBO 

Matt, xxvii. 51-66; Mark xv. 38-47; Luke xxiii. 45-56; John xix. 31-42 

"And behold the veil of the temple was rent in two from 
the top even to the bottom; and the earth quaked, and the 
rocks were rent. And the graves were opened; and many 
bodies of the saints, that had slept, arose ; and coming out of 
the tombs after His resurrection, came into the holy city and 
appeared to many." (Matt, xxvii. 51.) 

"The centurion who stood over against Him, seeing what 
was done, that Jesus, crying out in this manner, had given up 
the ghost, glorified God, saying : Indeed this was a just man ; 
indeed He was the Son of God. And they that were with him 
watching Jesus, having seen the earthquake and the things 
that were done, were sore afraid, sa.ying : Indeed this was the 
Son of God. And all the multitude of them that were come 
together to that sight, and saw the things that were done, 
returned striking their breasts. All His acquaintance, and 
many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee, stood afar 
off, looking on and beholding these things. Among whom were 
Mary Magdalen, Mary the mother of James the less and of 
Joseph, and Salome the mother of the sons of Zebedee, who 
also, when He was in Galilee, followed Him and ministered to 
Him, and many other women that came up with Him to 
Jerusalem. ' ' 



DEATH OF JESUS 393 

Before proceeding onward, let us consider the five wonder- 
ful events which took place at the death of Jesus. The first 
of these, namely, the three hours' darkness during our Lord's 
agony, has been already described. The second event was the 
tearing asunder into two parts the veil of the temple. This 
veil or curtain concealed the holy of holies; and only once a 
year, on the day of the great atonement, the high-priest, and 
he only, was permitted to venture behind this veil, when he 
went to sacrifice the victim of expiation. According to Jewish 
accounts, this curtain was forty yards long and twenty wide, 
embroidered heavily with golden and purple threads, and so 
artistically wrought that it required a whole year's work at 
the hands of several thousand young girls to finish it. And 
now, at the very instant when the veritable High-Priest on 
Golgotha is entering, with His own sacrificial blood, into the 
Sanctuary, and offering up the only efficacious sin-atonement, 
this veil of the temple is rent in twain from top to bottom. 
This was a sign that admission to the Most High, that is to 
say, to reconciliation in and through Christ, was now granted 
to all men; that the ancient figurative sacrificial worship of 
the Old Law had been abolished, and that the Jewish temple 
had lost its use and meaning forevermore. But a few hours 
previous, the chief-priest Caiphas had rent his garments in a 
fit of hypocritical indignation, thereby rejecting, in the name 
of the whole nation, the Messias as a blasphemer of God. Now, 
the Almighty, in just anger, tears the garments of the Sanctu- 
ary, and thereby rejects forever the Jewish nation. 

The third miraculous occurrence was the terrible earthquake 
during the agony of Jesus. Reliable annalists assure us that 
mountains and valleys were agitated fearfully, not only in 
Palestine, but throughout Asia Minor, and away to the west 
as far as Spain. On Calvary the very rocks were rent. Thus 
did inanimate, irrational nature manifest its horror at the 
death of its Creator. A thrill of mingled terror and protest 
ran through its inmost recesses of existence, when it witnessed 
the crime perpetrated against their Lord and Master by rea- 
sonable and intelligent human beings. 

The fourth miraculous event was the resurrection from 
their graves of many dead persons. These are called, in the 
Scripture, holy persons. This strange resurrection of such 
deceased persons is variously commented upon by holy and 
learned writers, and variously explained. It is commonly 
held that these servants of God did not go through the mys- 



394 MIRACULOUS EVENTS AT THE 

tery of their real and final resurrection in glorified and im- 
passible bodies ; that they were not permitted, on the day of the 
Ascension, to go up with Christ into heaven with bodies and 
souls. Theirs was rather a temporary resurrection; and after 
they had appeared to many of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 
comforting the faithful, encouraging the doubtful, exhorting 
the unbelieving to conversion, and giving testimony to all that 
the crucified Christ was really the Conqueror of death and the 
Lord of life, their bodies returned to their silent graves, 
whilst their souls were led up into heaven by Christ on the 
day of His ascension. 

Lastly, the fifth miraculous occurrence was the spiritual 
resurrection, or the conversion of many of those persons who 
were present at the death of Christ. They witnessed the pre- 
ternatural disturbances in the heavens and on the earth ; they 
heard Christ cry out, with a loud voice, "Father, into Thy 
hands I connnend My spirit," thereby proclaiming that this 
was an act of His own free will, and not of coercion, as is the 
case with other dying mortals, but that He was going to His 
death voluntarily. All these circumstances touched the heart of 
many spectators, who thereupon professed the truth, and with 
contrite hearts acknowledged : Surely this is the Son of God. 
Here again discover and acknowledge the blessed fruit of that 
intercessory prayer of our great High-Priest: "Father, for- 
give them, for they know not what they do." How inscrut- 
able are the decrees of the Lord, how mysterious and hidden 
the ways of divine justice and mercy ! The Jewish priesthood, 
in blindness and perversity, rushed forward to dark destruc- 
tion, while the pagan Centurion of heathen Rome dis- 
covered the light, followed it and believed. Several learned 
annalists inform us that this centurion's name was Longinus, 
and that he suffered martyrdom for the faith of Christ, 
in Cappadocia. 

"Then the Jews (because it was the parasceve) that the 
bodies might not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath-day 
(for that was a great Sabbath-day), besought Pilate that the 
legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 
The soldiers therefore came, and they broke the legs of the 
first, and of the other that was crucified with Him. But after 
they were come to Jesus, when they saw that He was already 
dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers 
with a spear opened His side, and immediately there came 
out blood and water. And he that saw it hath given testi- 



DEATH OF JESUS 395 

mony/ and his testimony is true. And he knoweth that he 
saith true, that you also may believe. For these things were 
done that the Scripture might be fulfilled : You shall not break 
a bone of Him. And again another Scripture saith: They 
shall look on Him whom they pierced." {John.) 

As in the slaughter of the figurative paschal lamb of the 
Old Testament, the bones were to remain unbroken, in order 
that the appearance might be preserved of a victim sacrificed 
in perfect entirety and soundness, so was the adorable body 
of our Lord, the true paschal lamb, to be spared such a ruth- 
less desecration after death. But why was that dreadful rent 
of the lance permitted to be made in His right side, and so 
near to His sacred heart? The holy doctors of the Church 
assign a threefold reason for this piercing of the side of 
Jesus. In the first place, this lance-thrust, which pierced the 
side and heart of Jesus with such unerring certainty that the 
blood spurted forth mingled with water, was to afford proof 
to all doubters that Christ was not feigning death, but that 
death had really taken place, and that decomposition of the 
blood had already set in. In the second place, our loving 
Redeemer wished to impress all future generations with the 
dignity and excellence of His holy Church. For, as of old, 
in the garden of paradise. Eve, the mother of the human 
family, came forth from the side of father Adam, during 
his sleep, so from out of the side of the second and spiritual 
Adam, Jesus Christ, whilst He slept in death on the cross, the 
new Eve and spiritual mother of all redeemed humanity, the 
holy Catholic Church, came forth figuratively. For the 
Church, with all her spiritual riches and precious graces, is 
but the fruit of the bitter sufferings and cruel death of 
Christ. The blood and the water flowing from the wounded 
side of the Lord are the symbols of these precious graces, es- 
pecially of such as are contained in the sacraments of Baptism 
and the Eucharist. In the third place, the lacerated side and 
pierced heart of Jesus constitute at once a figure and an evi- 
dence of His boundless love toward mankind. Hence His 
precious blood was to be poured out for us to the very last 
drop, and His adorable heart to be opened as a place of secure 
refuge and rest for the distressed, weary and sin-laden souls 
of men. 

^St. John the Evangelist here alludes to himself, who had been an eye- 
witness to the crucifixion, and had stood under the cross during our 
Lord's agony and death. 



396 MIRACULOUS EVENTS AT THE 

"After these things, and when evening was come (because 
it was the parasceve, that is, the day before the Sabbath), 
there came a certain rich man named Joseph of Arimathea, a 
city in Judea, who was a noble counsellor, a good and a just 
man and had not consented to their counsel and doings, who 
also himself looked for the kingdom of God, and was a disciple 
of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews. This man came 
and went in boldly to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus." 

"But Pilate wondered that he should be already dead, and 
sending for the centurion, he asked him if he were really dead, 
"When he had understood it of the centurion, he gave the body 
to Joseph, and commanded that the body should be delivered." 

' ' He came therefore and took away the bodj^ of Jesus. And 
Nicodemus also came, he who at first came to Jesus by night, 
bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred- 
pound weight. Joseph buying fine linen, and taking Jesus 
down, wrapped Him up in the fine linen ; they bound the body 
in linen cloths with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is 
to bury." 

All these marks of respect and love shown to the body of 
Jesus by these devoted friends, had been foretold by the 
prophet Isaias, when he said : "Plis sepulcher shall be glorious, 
and His rest shall be glorified." Nicodemus, a prince among 
the Jews, and Joseph of Arimathea, a rich and influential 
member of the high council, now touched the body of Jesus 
with gentle and reverent hands, whereas only a few hours 
previous the most degraded of men had vented their low 
malice against that same body. A very wealth of costly spices 
and other preservatives were lavished upon the remains of 
Him to whom gall and vinegar had been offered. The finest 
linens now enclosed those limbs which the executioners had 
exposed to the vulgar gaze. At the crucifixion, no one, save 
the penitent thief, was brave enough to speak a word in de- 
fense of the Son of God; but now, those men who, through 
fear of the Jews, had concealed their love for Christ, openly 
acknowledged themselves to be His friends. Thus was the 
prophecy of Isaias verified. 

The solemn ceremony of taking down from the cross the 
precious body of Jesus, was carried out with a religious rever- 
ence indescribably touching, and amid a sad and sorrowful 
silence, whilst countless throngs of heavenly spirits hovered 
about unseen. Those engaged in this sacred duty moved 
slowly, and gently, and carefully, as though they dreaded to 



DEATH OF JESUS 397 

renew again the sufferings of the inanimate body; for their 
hearts were overpowered with love and reverence toward the 
precious remains of this King of martyrs. 

But thou, sorrowful Mother Mary ! What were thy senti- 
ments and thoughts in that solemn hour? With what con- 
flicting feelings didst thou receive into thy arms the blessed 
remains of thy only-begotten son ! How lovingly thou didst 
press His disfigured form to thy breast ! How thy mother 's 
heart must have throbbed when, disengaging the cruel crown 
of thorns from His sacred head, thou didst draw, one by one, 
the long thorns from His pallid brow ! 

"Now there was in the place where He was crucified a 
garden ; and in the garden a new sepulcher, which Joseph had 
had hewn out in a rock, and wherein no man yet had been 
laid. There, therefore, because of the parasceve of the Jews, 
they laid Jesus, because the sepulcher was nigh at hand. And 
he rolled a great stone to the door of the monument and went 
his way. It was the day of the parasceve, and the Sabbath 
drew on. And the women that were come with Him from 
Galilee following after, saw the sepulcher and how His body 
was laid. And Mary Magdalen and the other Mary were 
sitting over against the sepulcher. And returning, they pre- 
pared spices and ointments; and on the Sabbath-day they 
rested, according to the commandment." 

Thus the Lord of heaven and earth, who found His first 
resting-place on earth in the property of strangers, namely, 
in the shepherd's grotto in Bethlehem, likewise found His last 
resting-place in the grave of a stranger, in the new monument 
of Joseph of Arimathea. He never owned, in His own right, 
a place on which He could lay His head, whether in life or 
in death. 

Night had now come on. The noisy crowds had dispersed to 
their homes, the solemn stillness of death had settled down 
upon Calvary, and the whole landscape was bathed in the soft 
light of the full moon of Eastertide. The solemn funeral pro- 
cession of Jesus now moved slowly and quietly down the hill. 
Joseph and Nicodemus, aided by a few attendants, carried the 
sacred remains. The sorrowing Mother, accompanied by the 
disciple whom Jesus loved, the faithful St. John, followed 
close behind. Mary Magdalen and the other devoted women 
came last. Down the hill these few simple, heart-broken 
mourners moved slowly toward the neighboring garden with 
its new monument hewn in the rock. With careful and loving 



398 MIRACULOUS EVENTS AT THE 

hands the faithful mother composed the limbs of her dead 
son, and then joined the other women and turned her steps 
toward her sad home. Holy indeed, and privileged was the 
spot where the Lord of life and death chose to pass the solemn 
Sabbath of Redemption week, and to rest from all the works 
which He had made. Blessed the place in which He was 
pleased to dwell for three days,— the last hours of Friday, the 
whole of Saturday, and the first hours of Sunday, till day- 
break. Here did Jesus achieve His victory over the grave, 
over death itself. In commemoration of this triumph, the 
Christians of antiquity honored this spot by the erection of 
a temple which had then hardly any equal in magnificence.^ 
Although in the course of centuries this monumental church 
was four times destroyed, yet it arose again and again from 
its ruins, and each time with more splendor and beauty. In- 
side of this memorable temple, like a church within a chvirch, 
stands the Chapel of the Sepulcher, an object of reverence 
both to Christians and ]\Iahommedans, together with the very 
rock on which reposed the body of the Saviour. In our time, 
the unbloody sacrifice of Calvary is offered up every day in 
commemoration of the bleeding sacrifice on the cross. 

Before closing our meditations on the miraculous and grace- 
bringing events of Good Friday, we have one more great mys- 
tery to treat ; one frequently mentioned in holy Scripture, and 
of which we are daily reminded when Ave repeat in the Apos- 
tles' Creed the words. "He descended into hell." For the 
soul of our Lord and Redeemer, at the very moment of leaving 
the sacred body, descended into hell or limbo; that is, into 
the place where the souls of the ancient fathers and of all the 
just of the Old Testament were awaiting the great day of 
redemption and the reopening of heaven's gates. 

Thus the body of our Lord was reposing in the sepulcher, 
while His adorable soul tarried in limbo; but only until the 
hour of His glorious resurrection, as the Psalmist David had 
long before prophesied of the future Messias: "Thou wilt not 
leave my soul in hell ; nor wilt Thou give thy holy one to see 
corruption." {Ps. xv. 10.) If we inquire why did Jesus 
descend into limbo, the holy prince of the apostles, St. Peter, 
will answer us in his epistle : ' ' Christ also died once for our 
sins, being put to death indeed in the flesh, but enlivened in 
the spirit : in which also coming He preached to those spirits 

^The Emperor Constantine the Great and hia pious mother Helen, from 
A. D. 326 to 334. 



DEATH OF JESUS 399 

that were in prison ; the gospel was preached also to the dead. ' ' 
(1 Peter iii. and iv.) Imagine, if you can, the joy of these 
just souls when they received the joyful tidings: "Sin is for- 
given, iniquity is blotted out, guilt is expiated, and the gates 
of the celestial paradise are again open. But a few days more, 
and the Son of Man will ascend in glory to take possession 
of His throne which has been prepared for Him for all 
eternity at the right hand of His Father; and all those who 
in truth and justice have hoped and believed in the Anointed 
of the Lord, shall be taken up with Him." 

Let us now consider what took place in Jerusalem on the 
day after our Lord's crucifixion, and also how the Church 
solemnizes the remembrance of Holy Saturday, which is the 
day intervening between the crucifixion and the resurrection. 

' ' The next day, which followed the day of preparation, the 
chief-priests and the Pharisees came together to Pilate, say- 
ing: Sir, we have remembered that that seducer said, while 
He was yet alive. After three days I will rise again. Com- 
mand, therefore, the sepulcher to be guarded until the third 
day, lest His disciples come and steal Him away, and say to 
the people. He is risen from the dead; and the last error 
shall be worse than the first. Pilate said to them: You have 
a guard; go guard it as you know. They, departing, made 
the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone and setting guards." 
{Matt, xxvii.) 

Observe how the Pharisees and the chief-priests still per- 
sist in employing every agency, and in using every stratagem, 
in order to accomplish securely, and beyond all chance of de- 
feat, their work of malice and of infidelity. Observe, too, how 
all their shrewdly conceived designs only serve to further the 
decrees of divine wisdom, by contributing to the glory and 
triumph of Christ, and to the firmer establishment of our 
belief in His resurrection. They seal up the monument which 
contains the body of Jesus, and stamp the seal with the im- 
press from the signet-ring of Pilate. They station about and 
before the tomb a guard of well-armed Roman soldiers. But 
these very soldiers become the most certain and most reliable 
witnesses of the Resurrection. They are the first to announce 
to Pilate, to the chief-priests, and to the people, the victorious 
triumph of the Risen One. Hence the words of the Patriarch 
Job are verified to the letter: "The Lord bringeth to naught 
the designs of the malignant, so that their hands can not ac- 
complish what they had begun ; who catcheth the wise in their 



400 MIRACULOUS EVENTS AT THE 

craftiness, and disappointeth the counsel of the wicked." 
{Jot V.) 

The Christians of the early ages of the Church used to ob- 
serve the day on which these events took place, by a solemn 
and mournful silence; calling it The Day of our Lord's con- 
cealment in the tomh. Toward nightfall, the observances of 
Easter Eve began. These were about the same as the cere- 
monies which we now carry out in the forenoon of Holy 
Saturday, and which still retain, to some extent, the name and 
significance of Easter Vigils. 

The first ceremony of the Church on this day consists in 
the blessing of the new fire, or Easter lights. This ceremony 
is performed in the porch of the church, and the fire should, 
if possible, be struck from a flint. When our Saviour died on 
Good Friday, and was enclosed in His tomb, the "Light of the 
AVorld" seemed to be totally and eternally extinguished. But 
on the vigil of Easter, this light was, as it were, rekindled, 
and shone in all the fullness of beauty and brilliancy ; becom- 
ing the source whence all real and true enlightenment shall 
proceed till the end of time. 

Such is the truth which the Church wishes to signify and 
to honor when she lights from this blessed Easter-fire every 
light that is to be used in her service during the ensuing year: 
the Paschal candle, the light before the Blessed Sacrament, 
the lamps that burn before relics and images, and even, if pos- 
sible, the other lamps throughout the church. 

After the benediction of the new fire, comes the solemn 
blessing of the Easter Candle, during the chanting of the 
"Exultet, " or hymn beginning, "Let the angelic choirs of 
heaven rejoice." This Paschal candle, which, with its five 
grains of incense, representing the five wounds, we perceive 
burning for the next forty days on the gospel-side of the altar, 
is a figure o^ the glorified body of Christ with its five wound- 
marks, signifying also the forty days spent by the risen 
Saviour with His apostles, from Easter till the time of His 
ascension. After the blessing of the Easter Candle, follows 
the reading of the twelve prophecies, or those selections from 
the Old Testament that have a bearing on the regeneration, 
redemption and resurrection in Christ of the human race, and 
which foretell the rejection by God of the Jewish people. 

When the prophecies have been all sung, or at least read 
by the celebrant, the solemn blessing of the baptismal waters 
takes place with ceremonies differing somewhat from those 



DEATH OF JESUS 401 

of Whitsuneve. The long service then concludes with the 
solemn sacrifice of the mass, in white vestments, and with 
lights and flowers on the altar. When the celebrant intones 
the Gloria in Excelsis, the organ and bells which have been 
silent since the preceding Thursday morning, are heard again. 
These, together with the triumphant Alleluia, several times 
repeated, announce to the faithful the dawning of Easter with 
all its joyousness and thanksgiving. 



PART VI 

The Tiiumph of Jesus Christ — His 3Iysterious and 
Mii'aculous Life in His CJiurch 

CHAPTER I 

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS. HE APPEARS TO 

HIS MOTHER MARY, TO MARY MAGDALEN, 

AND TO THE OTHER DEVOUT WOMEN 

Matt, xxviii. 1-15; Mark xvi. 1-11; Luke xxiv. 1-12; John xx. 1-18 

1. Christ Rises from the Tomb and Appears to His 
Blessed Mother 

The soul of the crucified Saviour having, from the time it 
left His body, remained in limbo, among the souls of the first 
fathers of the human race, returned soon after midnight of 
the Sabbath to its sanctified body yet resting in the tomb. 
The interpreters of Scripture tell us that Christ brought with 
Him the souls of these holy persons to witness the resurrection 
of His sacred body. We can well imagine that these holy 
spirits, at last released from prison, and hastening on in com- 
pany of Christ, and vni\i myriads of angels, to witness this 
grand mystery, formed a glorious, happy procession. With 
just reason might this enraptured company, as they floated 
through the air on their way to Calvary, fill all the realms of 
space with their joyful chanting of the one hundred and 
thirteenth psalm of David : "Alleluia ! When Israel went out 
of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarous people, Judea 
was made his sanctuary, Israel his dominion. The sea saw and 
fled; Jordan was turned back. The mountains skipped like 
rams, and the hills like the lambs of the flock. What ailed 
thee, thou sea, that thou didst flee ? and thou, Jordan, that 
thou wast turned back? ye mountains, that ye skipped like 
rams? and ye hills, like lambs of the flock? At the presence 

402 



THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS 403 

of the Lord the earth was moved, at the presence of the God 
of Jacob : who turned the rock into pools of water, and the 
stony hills into fountains of waters. Not to us, Lord, not 
to us; but to Thy name give glory. For Thy mercy, and for 
Thy truth 's sake ; lest the Gentiles should say : "Where is their 
God? But our God is in heaven; He hath done all things 
whatsoever He would. The idols of the Gentiles are silver and 
gold, the works of the hands of men. They have mouths and 
speak not ; they have eyes and see not ; they have ears and hear 
not; they have noses and smell not; they have hands and feel 
not ; they have feet and walk not ; neither shall they cry out 
through their throat. Let them that make them become like 
unto them, and all such as trust in them. The house of Israel 
hath hoped in the Lord ; He is their helper and their protector. 
The house of Aaron hath hoped in the Lord ; He is their helper 
and their protector. They that fear the Lord have hoped in 
the Lord; He is their helper and their protector. The Lord 
hath been mindful of us, and hath blessed us. He hath blessed 
the house of Israel; He hath blessed the house of Aaron; He 
hath blessed all that fear the Lord, both little and great. May 
the Lord add blessings upon you; upon you, and upon your 
children. Blessed be you of the Lord, who made heaven and 
earth. The heaven of heaven is the Lord's; but the earth He 
has given to the children of men. The dead shall not praise 
Thee, Lord; nor any of them that go down to hell. But 
we that live bless the Lord, from this time now and forever. 
Alleluia!" 

The angels, too, who were in the train of these redeemed 
spirits of antiquity, took up their strain of joy and sang with 
sympathizing gladness: "Alleluia! Let us rejoice and be 
glad, for the day of salvation is dawning. Alleluia ! To-day 
shall be made manifest to all men the salvation, the glory, the 
power and the kingdom of our God and of His Son Jesus 
Christ. Alleluia ! The lamb that was slain is worthy to re- 
ceive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and 
honor, and glory, and benediction for ever and ever. Alle- 
luia!" 

When the mysterious procession of spirits reached Calvary, 
that dismal, dreary, blood-stained mount was suddenly illumi- 
nated with a dazzling brilliancy which made the lonely night 
brighter than the noon-day sun. Along the route which Jesus 
had trod, from Jerusalem to the scene of His death, angels 
now passed, silently and reverently gathering up each drop 



404 THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS 

of blood that stained the privileged ground, and leaving not a 
scattered hair nor the smallest shred of His sacred flesh, 
brought them to Calvary. And now, the souls of the just, once 
more led by the soul of Jesus Christ, and accompanied by the 
angels, wing their way to the sealed sepulcher, in order to 
see and adore the sacred body which had been lacerated, dis- 
figured, tortured and deprived of life on account of sin. How 
fervently they must have worshipped these precious remains 
by which the redemption of the human race had been suc- 
cessfully effected ! How deeply they must have sympathized 
in the sufferings of their own Deliverer ! And now, the di- 
vine-human soul of Jesus Christ bends down to embrace the 
blessed body; they become once more united, and behold! the 
pallid and disfigured corpse lights up, glows with radiant life, 
is suffused with a flood of glory, and rises triumphant and 
transfigured, forevermore innuortal and impassible ! 

At once Jesus left the narrow confines of the sepulcher and 
hastened away to relieve and comfort His anxious and afflicted 
mother. 

Altliough the holy evangelists do not tell us in their books, 
in which "are not written many things that Jesus did," that 
He appeared to His beloved mother, yet reason would teach 
us, and the devout and learned doctors of the Church inform 
us, and revelations from heaven to devout souls on earth as- 
sure us, that Jesus Christ's first visit, after His triumph over 
sin and death, was to the Blessed Virgin Mary.^ An old 
tradition has it, that the sorrowing Mother of Jesus, having 
passed the whole of Easter night in meditation and prayer, was 
in a state of tranquil expectation of the resurrection of her 
divine Son, when suddenly the archangel Gabriel, attended 
by legions of heavenly spirits, stood before her, and repeated 
the old familiar salutation: "Ave Maria!" "Hail Mary!" 
He then added, "Regina coeli l^etare!" "Queen of heaven, 
rejoice ! for He whom thou didst deserve to bear is risen from 
the dead. Alleluia!" Hardly were these glad tidings de- 
livered, when the virgin's humble apartment faded into ap- 
parently unbounded space, a flood of brilliant light poured 
in, and her own beloved Son Himself, glorious and immortal, 
surrounded by myriads of angels, and followed by the lately- 

'The time-honored practice in Rome of celebrating the Holy Mysteries 
on Easter morning, in the church of the Blessed Virgin (as designated 
in our missals to this day), indicates the ancient belief that Christ made 
His first appearance, after His resurrection, to His Blessed Mother. 



THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS 405 

released souls of the just of the Old Testament, appeared 
before her, and in gladsome accents thus addressed her : 
"Rejoice and be comforted, Mother of Sorrows! thy Son, 
thy Lord, returns to thee in triumph and honor. Alleluia ! ' ' 
After appearing to His Blessed Mother, the glorified Jesus 
departed to make known His resurrection to the penitent 
Magdalen, the other devout women, and His apostles, and to 
bring them consolation and encouragement. 

2. The Devout Women Go to the Sepulcher and Find the 
Stone Rolled Away 

' ' In the end of the Sabbath, when it began to dawn toward 
the first day of the week,^ came Mary Magdalen and the other 
Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, who had brought 
sweet spices, that coming to see the tomb, they might anoint 
the body of Jesus. And very early in the morning they set 
out, it being yet dark; and they come to the monument, the 
sun being now risen, bringing the perfumes that they had 
prepared. And they said one to another, who shall roll us 
back the stone from the door of the monument? When, be- 
hold, there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord 
descended from heaven, and coming, rolled back the stone 
and sat upon it. And the countenance of the angel was as 
lightning, and his vesture white as snow. And for fear of 
him the guards were struck with terror, and became as if 
they had been dead. In the meantime the women approached, 
and looking, saw the stone rolled back, for it was very great ; 
and entering into the sepulcher they found not the body of 
the Lord Jesus. Mary Magdalen ran, therefore, and cometh 
to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple," John, 'Svliom 
Jesus loved, and saith to them : They have taken away the 
Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have 
laid Him." 

Truly it was a genuine, constant and heroic love that these 
devoted women entertained for Jesus. It was a pure and 
intense love, living all through the unparalleled degradation 
and death of its object, and penetrating into His very grave. 
No longer able to give proof of their love to the living, these 
women must make His lifeless corpse the object of their tender 
solicitude. For this fact we refer to the account given us by 
the holy evangelists. 

^Namely, the morning of our Easter Sunday. 



406 THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS 

3. The Angel Informs Them That Jesus is Risen 
"And going into the sepulcher, they^ found not the body 
of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass as they were aston- 
ished in their mind at this, behold two men stood by them in 
white, shining apparel. And as they were afraid, and bowed 
down their countenajice toward the ground, the young man 
sitting on the right side said to the women: Be not afraid, 
for I know whom you seek, Jesus who was crucified. But 
why leek you the living with the dead? He is not here, but is 
arisen, as He said. Remember how He spoke unto you when 
He was yet in Galilee, saying. The Son of Man must be de- 
livered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and the 
third day rise again. Come and see the place where the Lord 
was laid ; and going quickly tell His disciples, and especially 
Peter, that He is risen ; and behold He goeth before you into 
Galilee. There you shall see Him as He told you: 'Behold, 
I have foretold it to you.' And they called to mind His 
words. And they went quickly out of the monument with 
fear and great joy, running to tell His eleven disciples and 
the rest, and they said nothing to an}'' man in the way, for 
they were afraid." 

If it appears strange for Christ to make known His resur- 
rection to women, even before revealing it to His apostles, 
and even to appear first to them, let us remember that these 
devoted women had merited this preference by their fervent 
and heroic charity. It required unusual courage and devotion 
on the part of a gentle and timid woman to tarry alone before 
a vacant and gaping sepulcher, or indeed to be abroad at day- 
break in a large city, when the times were very exciting and 
the place crowded with strangers who had been brought to- 
gether from all quarters on the occasion of the Passover. And 
moreover, these same Jews, who with wild rage demanded the 
crucifixion of the divine ]\Iaster, would not spare any one 
whom they might suspect of being His friend. But these con- 
siderations were not able to restrain the open manifestation 
by these devout women of their undying love for their Saviour. 
\\liile the apostles, themselves in gloomy fear and sad de- 
spondency, were shut up in an obscure room, these women 
were at the grave of Jesus, resolved, if no longer able to 
salute their living Saviour, at least to show their respect to 
His lifeless remains. 

^The devout women, except Magdalen, who had hastened off to Peter 
and John. 



THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS 407 

4. Peter and John Hasten to the Sepulcher 
"Peter therefore, rising up, went out, and that other dis- 
ciple, and they came to the sepulcher. And they both ran 
together, and that other disciple did outrun Peter, and came 
first to the sepulcher. And when he stooped down, he saw 
the linen cloths lying, but yet he went not in. Then cometh 
Simon Peter, following him, and went into the sepulcher and 
saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin that had been 
about His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but apart, 
wrapt up into one place. Then that other disciple also went 
in, who came first to the sepulcher ; and he saw and believed. 
For as yet they knew not the scripture that He must rise 
again from the dead. These disciples, therefore, went away 
to their home, Peter wondering in himself at that which was 
come to pass." 

Is there no mysterious meaning in the relative manner of 
acting on the part of these two disciples? Indeed there is a 
deep meaning in the fact that St. John, though the younger 
of the two, and the fleeter of foot, and the first to arrive at 
the sepulcher, restrained his eager and impetuous anxiety, and 
merely looked into the deserted tomb, permitting Peter to 
enter before him. In thus giving precedence to the Prince of 
the apostles, the Beloved Disciple acknowledged the superior 
rank and authority of the Fisherman of Galilee ; a concession 
that has ever since been granted to the successors of St. Peter 
by the bishops of the Catholic Church. 

The fact, too, that the winding-sheet and the cloth which 
had enveloped the divine head of our Lord had been taken 
from His body and placed carefully on one side, furnished 
evidence to the perplexed apostles that the body had not been 
stolen. For no thief would have waited to strip the body 
and to place the wrapping to one side ; especially as linen in 
those days was of great value. Yet Peter could not fully 
realize the Resurrection of his Master ; for neither His prom- 
ises nor those of the Scripture had been thoroughly compre- 
hended by him. Hence he turned away from the empty 
sepulcher, and together with St. John, retraced his steps with 
perplexed and troubled mind. 

5. Christ Appears to Mary Magdalen 

But the devoted, ardent and enthusiastic penitent, Mary 
Magdalen, could not summon courage to tear herself away 
from the charmed spot, and after the others had left, re- 



408 THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS 

mained riveted with grief and consternation, to the sacred 
place. In reward for her patience and perseverance she Avas 
honored by her blessed Lord, and selected to be the first among 
mortals, after the Blessed Virgin, to enjoy the presence of the 
risen and glorified Redeemer. 

"But Jesus, rising early the first day of the week, appeared 
first to j\Iary ]Magdalen, out of whom He had cast seven 
devils. She stood at the sepulcher without,^ weeping. Now 
as she was weeping, she stooped down and looked into the 
sepulcher ; and she saw two angels in white sitting where the 
body of Jesus had been laid, one at the head and the other at 
the feet. They say to her : Woman, why weepest thou ? She 
saith to them: Because they have taken away my Lord, and 
I know not where they have laid Him. When she had said 
this, she turned herself back, and she saw Jesus standing, and 
knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith to her : Woman, why 
weepest thou ? whom seekest thou ? She, thinking that it was 
the gardener, saith to Him : Sir, if thou hast taken Him hence, 
tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away. 
Jesus saith to her: Mary! She, turning, saith to Him: Rab- 
boni (which is to say. Master). Jesus saith to her: Do not 
touch ]\Ie, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go 
to My brethren, and say to them : I ascend to My Father and 
your Father, to My God and your God. Mary Magdalen 
Cometh, and telleth the disciples that had been with Him, and 
were now mourning and weeping: I have seen the Lord, and 
these things He said to me." 

We can derive much comfort from this mystery, this fact 
that our risen Lord, next to His beloved mother, chose a peni- 
tent as the first living witness of His resurrection. Inno- 
cence, of course, gets the first preference. But penance and 
contrition are also very precious in the sight of Him who came 
into the world for the sake of sinners. A pure virgin and a 
purified penitent were the first to whom Christ appeared on 
Easter day. 

He addresses but one word to the penitent Magdalen, calling 
her familiarly Mary, as a bridegroom addressing his spouse. 
At the sound of the word Mary, and at the tone of the divine 
voice, her whole being is suddenly changed. Her soul, which 
up to the present moment was unable to comprehend how 
Christ coulcl rise from the dead and be alive, is now filled with 

^That is, after Peter and John, in whose company she had come, had 
gone away again. 



THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS 409 

supernatural light. At once she realizes the glorious truth that 
her beloved Saviour is really living. The sound of His well- 
known voice, uttering the simple word Mary, lifts her heart 
from the depths of affliction to the highest point of joy and 
happiness. She turns suddenly toward her revered Master, 
falls at His feet, and ceases not to pour out her soul in words 
of grateful adoration, till He at length advises that it were 
better to go away, for He had not yet gone to His Father; 
yet assuring her that she should see Him repeatedly here 
below. 

6. He Appears to Other Devout Women 

Our Lord having completely tranquilized the hitherto 
anxious heart of Mary Magdalen, vanished from her sight. 
She then calmly arose and hastened in pursuit of the other 
women, who were already on their way back to Jerusalem, to 
tell them the happy tidings. And while she was relating 
what she had heard and seen, "behold, Jesus met them, say- 
ing, All hail ! and they came near and took hold of His feet, 
and adored Him. Then Jesus saith to them: Be not afraid. 
Go tell My brethren that they go into Galilee, there they shall 
see me. Now it was Mary Magdalen, and Joanna, and Mary 
the mother of James, and the others who were with them that 
told these things to the apostles, and these words seemed to 
them as an idle fancy, and they did not believe them. ' ' 

It seems incomprehensible that the apostles should be so 
difficult to convince, so slow to believe the resurrection of 
Jesus Christ. But after considering the four reasons assigned 
by the church-fathers in explanation of this circumstance, we 
will be inclined to judge the apostles less severely. In the 
first place, they were mostly very simple and illiterate persons, 
men of very limited comprehension, of little experience, and 
hardly able to rise from the perceptions of the senses to 
supernatural revelations. In the second place, the apparent 
helplessness with which Christ had surrendered to the enemy 
in the garden of Olives, and the harrowing account given to 
them by St. John of the disgraceful death-agony and desola- 
tion of Christ on the cross, and of His real death and of His 
burial in a sepulcher, had made so deep and painful an im- 
pression on their souls, that they became impervious to any 
sentiment of comfort. In the third place, in their agitated 
condition of mind, they supposed that little or no credit could 
be given to the words of credulous and excitable women, 



410 THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS 

especially as Christ, if He were really risen from the dead, 
would doubtless have shown Himself innnediately in the midst 
of His apostles, instead of giving the preference to weak and 
unreliable females. Finally, our blessed Lord permitted this 
uncertainty to exist in the minds of the apostles, in order that 
by afterward allaynig their doubts, and confirming their 
faith in His Resurrection, He would the more indubitably 
prove to all mankind that He had really and truly risen from 
the dead. 

7. The Fable About the Sleepy Sentinels 

"^^^len the women were departed, behold some of the guards 
came into the city and told the chief-priests all things that 
had been done. And they being assembled together with the 
ancients, taking counsel, gave a great sum of money to the 
soldiers, saying: Say 3'ou, His disciples came by night and 
stole Him away when we were asleep. And if the governor 
shall hear of this, we will persuade him and secure you. So 
they, taking the money, did as they were taught ; and this 
word was spread among the Jews even unto this day." {St. 
Matt.) 

It is thus that passion always renders men blind, stupid and 
unscrupulous. Did not these chief-priests and elders know 
that it were absurd to talk of sleeping witnesses, and that 
even the most credulous persons could not believe such a 
paltry excuse on the part of the drowsy sentinels? Did not 
these Jewish priests perceive that these very sentinels, when 
mocked by their companions, or questioned by their superior 
officers regarding this disgraceful neglect of duty, namely, of 
falling asleep at their posts, would, sooner or later, in order 
to save themselves and their reputation, reveal the whole truth, 
and that thus the plotters would be unmasked and exposed to 
the ridicule of the whole world? Did they not see that this 
very Christ, of whose wonderful Resurrection they had been 
so positively' informed and assured by the sentinels, must be 
powerful enough to rend in pieces this tissue of falsehood, 
by appearing before the whole world as the risen and im- 
mortal Messias? Puny and pitiful subterfuge of these un- 
worthy Jewish priests ! How repulsive and despicable their 
malice ! Twice they paid money for the commission of crime ; 
first in the case of Judas' treason, and again in the corruption 
of the guard. Each time, too, they abstracted the money from 
the sacred treasury of the temple. Thus one iniquity begets 



THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS 411 

another, and the man who once allows himself to be misled by 
passion descends from one folly to another, from one abyss 
of destruction to a still lower and darker one. 

8. The Christian Festival of Easter 

Oh, what a good and well-founded right the Church has to 
rejoice and be glad on this day ! It is her own Jesus, her 
Founder, her Judge, her Bridegroom, who has vanquished 
death and hell, and risen in triumph from the tomb. His 
triumph, therefore, is really her triumph. His resurrection 
from the darkness of the grave is also her resurrection from 
the mournful observances of Passion-time. In the glory of 
Easter, all that Christ had taught and wrought during the 
three years of His ministry secured its confirmation and ex- 
planation. If the dull cold vault of death had held Him fast 
in decay and corruption, as it had retained all other teachers, 
we would have no pledge for the truthfulness of His teachings, 
while all the testimony in His favor, given by the Eternal 
Father, would have been in vain. But to-day, by rending 
asunder the chains of death and rising triumphantly out of 
the tomb. He proves Himself incontestably to be the promised 
One of the prophets, the One to whom all power is given in 
heaven and on earth, whose word is truth and life. But there 
can not be the least doubt about the truth of the Resurrection 
of Christ. For nature proclaimed it in the midst of an earth- 
quake ; heaven declared it by the voice of the angels ; virtue 
preached it in the words of heaven-favored women ; evil testi- 
fied to it through the report of the heathen sentinels and the 
proceedings of the Jewish priests ; faith confirmed it in Peter 
and his companions; unbelieving doubt recognized it in St. 
Thomas ; and, finally, the apostles and countless disciples sub- 
stantiated it by their sufferings and death. Hence all Chris- 
tendom rejoices ; for Christ is risen not for Himself alone : He 
is the First among the risen; and in His Resurrection, each 
man who is of good will, holds a guarantee of his own future 
resurrection from the grave. 

On this glorious festival, every Christian should unite with 
the Church in her joyous triumph. For on this day, death 
loses its terrors for the individual Christian. Before the 
resurrection, death was truly named death. But by the Re- 
deemer's victory over the tomb, death has become a mere 
temporary sleep, a sweet and gentle slumber. Saith the Lord, 
"the girl is not dead, but sleepeth." Sleep implies a speedy 



•412 THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS 

awakening. In speaking of the death of His beloved friend 
Lazarus, Jesus said to His disciples: "Lazarus, our friend, 
sleepeth." St. Paul, in several of his epistles, calls death a 
sleep, and speaks of the dead as those fallen asleep in the 
Lord. Nowhere is he more explicit than in his first Epistle 
to the Thessalonians : "And we will not have you ignorant, 
brethren, concerning them that are asleep, that you be not 
sorrowful, even as others who have no hope. For if we be- 
lieve that Jesus died and rose again, even so them who have 
slept through Jesus, will God bring with Him." (1 Thess. iv. 
12, 13.) 

To-day Christ burst asunder the bonds of death, and chat- 
tered tlie prison bars of the sepulcher, rendering the prison 
unavailable foreverniore. When the Son of God pulls down 
and shatters, who will dare to build up. 

Down to the hour of the Resurrection, no one had been able 
to compel death to relinquish its prey ; but when He appeared 
in the dark prison. His omnipotence set the victims free. How 
do we designate the victory by which, on this Easter morn, 
the divine Conqueror acquired a right to claim the prisoners 
from the clutches of death? Hear St. Chrysostom: "The 
Saviour first chained the 'strong man armed,' and then de- 
spoiled him of those treasures, called by the prophet Isaias, 
'the dark, invisible treasures.' And in truth they were envel- 
oped in darkness until the Sun of Justice arose over them and 
converted their hell into heaven." 

Isaias had good reason for terming death a treasury of 
darkness, for it held very many valuable treasures. All 
humanity, that real treasure belonging to God, but stolen by 
the devil when Adam fell, was imprisoned under the empire 
of death. Christ has liberated our imprisoned race. After 
first putting death in chains. He carried off His treasures, 
nameh% the whole human family. St. Paul teaches this truth 
in the following words : "He hath delivered us from the power 
of darkness, and hath transported us into the kingdom of the 
Son of His love." 

On this blessed Easter day are verified the words which our 
divine Lord uttered on a previous occasion, that of healing 
the paralytic: "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and 
giveth life to whom He will, amen I say unto you, the hour 
cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the 
Son of God, and they that hear shall live. For as the Father 
hath life in Himself, so He hath given to the Son also to have 



THE TPIIKD AND FOURTH APPEARANCES 413 

life in Himself. Wonder not at this; for the hour cometh 
wherein all that are in their graves shall hear the voice of 
the Son of God. And they that have done good things shall 
come forth unto the resurrection of life; but they that have 
done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment." 

To-day we should also recall to mind the words of St. Paul : 
"But now Christ is risen from the dead, the first fruit of them 
that sleep. For by a man came death, and by a man the 
resurrection of the dead. And as in Adam all die, so also in 
Christ shall all be made alive." In these words we are re- 
minded of a very profound though very evident truth; 
namely, that there are really but two men in history, the first 
Adam and the second Adam ; the latter being Christ our risen 
Saviour. As the first Adam was the origin of death, the sec- 
ond Adam is the principle of life. As it is our union, or rather 
our identity, with the first Adam, which has inflicted death 
upon us, union and identity with the second Adam, who has 
triumphed to-day over death, will restore us to life, to the true 
life of which He is Himself the principle. 

Let us rejoice, then, and from the bottom of our hearts be 
thankful to that divine Saviour who has torn from the pallid 
brow of death its dismal laurels, who has stripped the grave 
of its terrors. 



CHAPTER II 



THE THIRD AND FOURTH APPEARANCES OF JESUS. 

HE APPEARS TO THE TWO DISCIPLES ON THE 

ROAD TO EMMAUS, AND TO SIMON PETER 

Mark xvi. 12, 13; Luke xxiv. 13-35 

1. Christ and the Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus 

' ' After that Jesus showed Himself in another shape to two 
of them, walking, the same day,^ as they were going into the 
country to a town called Emmaus, which was sixty furlongs 
from Jerusalem to the west. And they were talking together 
of all these things that had happened. 

"And it came to pass that while they talked and reasoned 
these things together with themselves, Jesus Himself also 
drawing near, went with them. But their eyes were held, 
that they should not know Him. And He said to them : What 

^Namely, Easter Sunday. 



414 THE THIRD AND FOURTH APPEARANCES 

are these discourses that you hold one with another as you 
walk and are sad? And one of them, whose name was 
Cleophas, answering, said to Him : Art thou only a stranger in 
Jerusalem, and hast not known the things that have been done 
in these days ? And he said to them : What things ? And 
they said : Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, 
mighty in work and word before God and all the people ; and 
how our chief-priests and princes delivered Him to be con- 
demned to death, and crucified Him. But we hoped that it 
was He that should have redeemed Israel. And now, besides 
all this, to-day is the third day since these things were done. 
Yea, and certain women also, of our company, affrighted us, 
who before it was light, were at the sepulcher, and not finding 
His Ixxly, came saying that they had also seen a vision of 
angels who say that He is alive. And some of our people went 
to the sepulcher, and found it so as the women had said ; but 
Him they found not. 

"Then Jesus said to them: foolish, and slow of heart to 
believe in all things which the prophets have spoken. Ought 
not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into 
His glory? And beginning from Moses and all the prophets, 
He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things that 
were concerning Him." 

Consider here first, the pensive and sad condition of these 
two disciples on their lonely journey to Emmaus, and, sec- 
ondly, the tender, condescending manner in which Jesus seeks 
to rouse their drooping hearts. The fresh remembrance of 
the deep disgrace to which they had seen their beloved Master 
reduced, had shaken their faith in Him. Afraid to concur 
in the manly declaration of St. Peter: "Thou art Christ, the 
Son of the living God," they style Jesus a prophet only. Their 
hopes are blasted, their charity is extinguished, and they are 
sad; that is to say, the happiness they used to feel in being 
His disciples and adherents is gone, their zeal has grown cold, 
their courage is departed. 

2. He is Recognized as he Breaks Bread 

"And they drew nigh to the town whither they were going; 
and He made as though He would go farther. But they con- 
strained Him, saying: Stay with us, because it is toward 
evening, and the day is now far spent. And He went in with 
them. And it came to pass, whilst He was at table with them, 
He took bread, and blessed and brake, and gave it to them. 




Martin FL'Ui;r^teiii 



CdpvriKht by Beiuifjer Brothers 



The Ascension of Our Lord 



THE FIFTH AND SIXTH APPEARANCES 415 

And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; and He 
vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another: 
Was not our heart burning within us whilst He spoke to us 
in the way, and opened to us the Scriptures?" 

These two disciples had obtained an extraordinary favor 
from Jesus in return for their humble attention to His teach- 
ings, and for their friendly hospitality to a stranger. The 
Son of the living God condescended to sit at table with them, 
and to dispense to them that same divine sacrament which He 
had administered to the apostles at His last supper. It was 
by virtue of this token of His unbounded ardent love, that 
they recognized Him to be the faithful Good Shepherd who 
had given His life for His sheep. 

3. He Appears to Simon Peter 

"And rising up the same hour, they returned back to 
Jerusalem ; and they found the eleven gathered together, and 
those that were with them saying: The Lord is risen indeed, 
and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were 
done in the way, and how they knew Him in the breaking of 
bread. But neither did they^ give credit to them." 



CHAPTER III 



THE FIFTH AND SIXTH APPEARANCES OF JESUS. 
INSTITUTION OF THE SACRAMENT OF PEN- 
ANCE. THE UNBELIEVING THOMAS 

Luke xxiv. 36-45; John xx. 19-30 

1. He Appears to the Assembled Apostles 

On the morning of that Easter day, Jesus appeared to the 
penitent Magdalen; about noontide, to the penitent Peter; 
and toward the last hour of the day He instituted the Sacra- 
ment of Penance and of Reconciliation, for the consolation of 
each wandering sheep of His flock. Let us read the beautiful 
narrative of these events, as it is given by the inspired pen 
of the evangelists : 

''Now while they were speaking these things at length, late 
that same day, the first day of the week, Jesus appeared to 
the eleven as they were at table, and the doors being shut for 

^Sorne, who still doubted. 



•116 THE FIFTH AND SIXTH APPEARANCES 

fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst of them, 
and said to them : Peace be to yon. It is I, fear not. But 
they being troubled and affrighted, supposed that they saw a 
spirit. And He said to them: Why are you troubled, and 
why do thoughts arise in your hearts? See My hands and 
feet, that it is I Myself; handle Me and see; for a spirit hath 
not flesh and bones as you see Me to have. And when He 
had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet and 
His side." 

"But while the}'' yet believed not, and wondered for joy. 
He said : Have you here anything to eat 1 And they offered 
Him a piece of a broiled fish and a honeycomb. And when 
He had eaten before them, taking the remains He gave to 
them. And He upbraided them with their incredulity and 
hardness of heart, because they did not believe them who had 
seen Him after He had risen again." And He said to them: 
"These are the words which I spoke to you while I Avas yet 
with 3'ou, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are 
written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the 
Psalms, concerning Me.^ Then He opened their understand- 
ing, that they might understand the Scriptures. And He 
said to them : Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to 
suffer, and to rise again from the dead the third day." 

2. Institution of the Sacrament of Penance 

"The disciples, therefore, Avere glad when they saw the 
Lord. He said to them again : Peace be unto you. As My 
Father sent Me, I also send you. When He had said this. 
He breathed upon them, and He said to them : Receive ye 
the Holy Ghost; whose sins you shall forgive, they are for- 
given them, and w-hose sins you shall retain, they are re- 
tained. ' ' 

By \nrtue of these highly important and expressive words, 
Jesus solemnly and formally conferred upon the apostles and 
their successors the divine right of remitting sins. If then the 
Most High, in the inscrutable decrees of His Providence, was 
pleased to make use of weak, sinful and mortal men, as His 
agents in the forgiveness of sins, and if besides He has clearly 
and positively declared this choice of His, as being of His 
o-RTQ will, who will dare to find fault with God's will? Of this 
divine will, and of the office consequent and dependent upon 

^Namely, those things concerning Hi's passion and death, through 
which He was to pass to His victory. 



THE FIFTH AND SIXTH APPEARANCES 417 

that will, the apostles were fully and clearly convinced. 
Hence St. Paul in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, styles 
himself and his brethren in the priesthood the ministers and 
dispensers of the divine mysteries. Now, of all the mysteries 
which affect man, those of mercy and of forgiveness of sins 
must take the first and most important place. Again, in his 
second Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul calls himself and 
his fellow-apostles ambassadors of Christ, and to whom was 
entrusted the office of forgiving sins. The Church has always 
firmly held and plainly taught this grace-bringing mediator- 
ship, that is, the priestly plenitude of power to forgive sins. 

3. The Doubting Thomas 

At the time when our blessed Lord conferred upon the 
apostles the fullness of power to forgive sins, one of them was 
absent. Hence it is the opinion of the Church-fathers that 
Jesus must have afterward bestowed it upon him singly and 
individually. This absent apostle was Thomas. "But Thomas, 
who is called Didymus, one of the twelve, was not with them 
when Jesus came. The other disciples, therefore, said to him : 
We have seen the Lord. He said to them : Except I shall see 
in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into 
the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will 
not believe." This was certainly very exacting on the part 
of Thomas, and did we not know the patience, and forbear- 
ance, and condescension of our amiable Redeemer, we might 
well wonder how He could ever have chosen for an apostle 
such a skeptical and incredulous man. For was it not sinful 
pride and scandalous recklessness on the part of this man to 
thus summarily and rashly reject the unanimous testimony 
of his fellow apostles, and to pass eight long days in his dis- 
belief? But we must remember, in the first place, that the 
Spirit of Pentecost had not yet been poured out upon the 
apostles. Moreover, our Lord wanted to give to His Church, 
through this conduct of Thomas, the consoling counsel, that 
even when great and chosen men manifest at times a weak- 
ness of faith, and in transitory passion forget the subjection 
due to the word of God and of His Church, we must not 
despair of their conversion; that we must deal leniently with 
the wavering, and give them time for reflection. 

Finally, our Lord permitted this obstinacy on the part of 
Thomas, as remarked above, in order that the fact of having 
at last yielded His belief, after so long and persistent a state 



418 THE SEVENTH AND EIGHTH APPEARANCES 

of doubt, demanding and obtaining proofs, would be for all 
future generations a certain proof of the real Resurrection 
of Clu'ist. 

4. Thomas, too, Sees and Acknowledges Jesus 

"After eight days His disciples were again within, and 
Thomas with them. Jesus conieth, the door being shut, and 
stood in the midst, and said : Peace be unto you. Then He 
saith to Thomas : Put in thy finger hither, and see My hands ; 
and bring hither thy hand, and put it into My side ; and be 
not faithless, but believing. Thomas answered and said to 
Him : My Lord and my God. Jesus saith to Him : Because 
thou hast seen Me, Thomas, thou hast believed; blessed are 
they who have not seen, and have believed. But the eleven 
disciples went away into Galilee." 

"Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of His dis- 
ciples, which are not written in this book ; but these are writ- 
ten that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son 
of God ; and that believing you may have life in His name. ' ' 



CHAPTER IV 



THE SEVENTH AND EIGHTH APPEARANCES OF 

JESUS. THE MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF 

FISHES. JESUS COMMITS THE OFFICE 

OF SUPREME PASTOR TO PETER 

Matt, xxviii. 16, 17; John xxi. 1-25 

1. Jesus Appears to the Disciples at the Sea op Tiberias. 
The Miraculous Draught of Fishes 

"After this Jesus shewed Himself again to His disciples, 
at the sea of Tiberias, and He shewed Himself after this man- 
ner. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas who is 
called Didymus, and Nathaniel who was of Cana in Galilee, 
and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples. 
Simon Peter saith to them : I go a-fishing. They say to him : 
We also come with thee. And they went forth and entered 
into the ship ; and that night they caught nothing. ' ' 

' ' But when the morning was come, Jesus stood on the shore ; 
yet the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore 
said to them : Children, have you any meat ? They answered 



THE SEVENTH AND EIGHTH APPEARANCES 419 

Him, No. He saith to them: Cast the net on the right side 
of the ship, and you shall find. They cast therefore ; and 
now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 
That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved said to Peter : It is 
the Lord. Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, 
girded his coat about him (for he was naked ),^ and cast him- 
self into the sea. But the other disciples came in the ship, 
for they were not far from the land, but as if it were 200 
cubits, dragging the net with the fishes." 

"As soon then as they came to land, they saw hot coals 
lying, and a fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith to them : 
Bring hither of the fishes you have now caught. Simon Peter 
went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, 153. 
And although there were so many, the net was not broken. 
Jesus saith to them : Come and dine. And none of them that 
were at meat durst ask Him : Who art thou ? knowing that 
it was the Lord. And Jesus cometh and taketh bread and 
giveth it to them, and fish in like manner. This was now the 
third time that Jesus was manifested to His disciples, after 
He was risen from the dead. ' ' 

The first two apparitions of our Lord after His resurrection 
had taken place in Judea, and in Jerusalem itself; the first 
on the evening of Easter Sunday, the second eight days later. 
As Christ had previously commanded, the apostles had re- 
turned to their home in Galilee ; and here it was, on the sea 
of Tiberias, sometimes called the sea of Galilee, that the risen 
Christ manifested Himself to them the third time. This ap- 
parition of Christ is specially important, for it was on this 
occasion that the Primacy of St. Peter, or his office as visible 
Head of the Church, was formally established. 

At first the seven apostles did not recognize their divine 
Master. After His Resurrection from the dead. He did not 
belong to the earth in the same way as previously, and it was 
necessary that His disciples should be prepared gradually not 
to see Him any more, at least with their bodily eyes. Hence 
every one of these manifestations of the Saviour possessed 
one remarkable characteristic. As He would suddenly stand 
in their midst, or near them, although the glory of His trans- 
figured body was concealed beneath His ordinary appearance. 
His person was somewhat mysterious and etherial, so that it 
was only by degrees they would come to recognize Him. He 

^Having worn at His work only a cloth about His loins, as customary 
then and there with fishermen. 



420 THE SEVENTH AND EIGHTH APPEARANCES 

would converse with them, then depart as suddenly as He had 
come. And who is the first on this occasion to recognize his 
Lord and IMaster ? John, the chaste and pure disciple. How 
truly had our I^ord once said : "Blessed are the clean of heart, 
for they shall see God." 

The miraculous draught of fishes is here very appropriate 
and significant. Jesus Christ wished on this occasion to ap- 
point to his new and important position the disciple whom 
on a previous occasion He had styled the fisher of men, and 
also to signify lo him how in the future time he would gather 
countless souls of all conditions into the net of the holy 
Church, thus releasing them from the tempest-tossed waves of 
the world, and that although countless would be their num- 
ber, the unity of the Church would not be broken. 

2. Jesus Appoints Peter Head of the Church 

"\\nien, therefore, they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon 
Peter : Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me more than these ? 
He saith to Him : Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love Thee. 
He saith to him: Feed My lambs." 

"He saith to him again: Simon, son of John, lovest thou 
Me? He saith to Him: Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love 
Thee. He saith to him : Feed My lambs. ' ' 

"He saith to him the third time: Simon, son of John, lovest 
thou Me? Peter was grieved, because he had said to him the 
third time, Lovest thou I\Ie ? and he said to Him : Lord, Thou 
knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He said 
to him: Feed IMy sheep." 

Why does our blessed Redeemer exact, in this place, from 
the Prince of the Apostles, this thrice-repeated and solemn 
profession of his love for his Master ? He is about to entrust 
to Peter's care and tutorship all His flocks, both lambs and 
sheep, laity and clergy. Hence the Master must exact from 
Peter and his successors a deep unbounded love, as the surest 
pledge and strongest proof and guaranty of a good and wise 
pastorate. That Good Shepherd who, in defense of His sheep, 
has sacrificed His life on the cross, can entrust His beloved 
flocks to no keeper who has not in his soul the strongest, 
truest and most disinterested love. Three times had Peter 
showTi want of constancy, three times had he denied his Lord. 
How mild and gentle the charity of Jesus, even when He 
chastises! The triple denial is now to be atoned for; and 
what atonement does the good Jesus demand from His con- 



THE SEVENTH AND EIGHTH APPEARANCES 421 

science-stricken Apostle? Merely a thrice repeated act of 
charity, a treefold avowal of future fidelity. How grand and 
incomprehensible is supernatural love, thus to be able to atone 
for sin ! 

Jesus, therefore, after confirming the Prince of the Apostles 
in a steady and lasting love, delivered to him formally, and 
in the presence of the other apostles and disciples, the mys- 
terious shepherd 's staff, to be used in governing and directing 
the entire flock of that universal Church, which is about to be 
founded throughout the world. At the same time Jesus tells 
him to feed them in three different ways; namely, as teacher 
of truth, as high-priest of grace and mercy, and as king 
through precept and wise regulations. 

3. Jesus Foretells to Peter that He Will Be Crucified 

But St. Peter was to be the successor of his divine Master, 
not only in authority, but also in his martyrdom. As Christ, 
like a devoted shepherd, had laid down His life for His sheep, 
so should His successor in office, St. Peter, do the same. He 
shall one day be bound in fetters, dragged before the courts, 
and sentenced to be crucified; thus resembling his divine 
Predecessor in a threefold manner: in the pastoral power, in 
the gentle love of the shepherd, and in the shepherd's self- 
denial, even to death on the cross. 

Hence Christ continues His address to Peter: "Amen, amen, 
I say to thee, when thou wast younger, thou didst gird thy- 
self, and didst walk where thou wouldst; but when thou shalt 
be old, thou shalt stretch thy hands, and another shall gird 
thee and lead thee whither thou wouldst not. And this He 
said signifying by what death he should glorify God. And 
when Jesus had said this. He saith to him: Follow Me." 

"Peter turning about, saw that disciple whom Jesus loved 
following, who also at the supper leaned on His breast and 
said : Lord, who is he that shall betray Thee ? Him, therefore, 
when Peter had seen, he saith to Jesus : Lord, what shall this 
man do ? Jesus saith to him : So I will have him to remain till 
I come; and what is it to thee? Follow thou Me. This say- 
ing, therefore, went abroad among the brethren, that the 
disciple should not die. And Jesus did not say to him. He 
should not die ; but : So I will have him to remain till I come ; 
what is it to thee?" 

Here St. Peter inquires of the divine Master whether St, 
John too is to have a martyr's death like the one just pre- 



422 THE SEVENTH AND EIGHTH APPEARANCES 

dieted of himself. And why does he make this inquiry? In 
the first place, out of a natural curiosity, for he was a par- 
ticular friend of St. John's. In the second place, he could 
not forget the favor shown in the past by Christ to this be- 
loved apostle. Peter, who had been a witness of the marked 
love shown by Christ to this apostle, could not understand 
why, when foretelling that Peter was to be His successor in 
power and authority, and His imitator in death. He should say 
nothing of St. John. In his extreme humility he shrank from 
such marked distinction, and would gladly elicit from the 
Master some words of encouragement for his friend and com- 
panion. Jesus, however, directs His attention to the mys- 
terious ways of the divine decrees, and signifies to him that 
John shall remain ; that is, that he shall not die a violent 
death till the Lord shall come in judgment upon the deicidal 
city of Jerusalem, and that when St. John shall have then 
accomplished his mission, He will take him to Himself. 

4. Jesus Appears to the Apostles on the Mount of Galilee 

The holy Scriptures mention but two appearances of our 
Saviour in Galilee after His resurrection. Of the first, which 
took place on the shores of the sea of Galilee, and in presence 
of four apostles and three disciples, we have just heard. The 
second is described by St. Matthew in the following words: 
' ' The eleven disciples went into Galilee to a mountain,^ where 
Jesus had appointed them; and seeing Him, they adored Him; 
but some doubted." According to the statement made by 
St. Paul in the fifteenth chapter of his first epistle to Corin- 
thians, there must have been a great number of witnesses to 
this appearance, for he says distinctly: "He was seen by 
more than 500 brethren at once, of whom many remain until 
this present, and some are fallen asleep." Among this 500 
there were some, as St. Matthew observes, who, notwithstand- 
ing this real, and true, and miraculous appearance of Christ, 
could not, or would not, bring themselves to believe in the 
resurrection, or at least treated it lightly, and permitted 
doubts to linger in their minds. It is quite probable that 
besides these two apparitions in Galilee, mentioned in Scrip- 
ture, our Saviour appeared often to His friends in Galilee, to 
instruct them in the mysteries of His holy religion, and to 

^Mount Thabor seems to be the mountain here meant; though other 
commentators are of the opinion that it is the mount on which Christ 
preached His "Sermon on the Mount." 



THE NINTH APPEARANCE OF JESUS 423 

comfort them with words of encouragement. During these 
forty days previous to His Resurrection, He must have often 
appeared to His blessed Mother, in order to gladden her 
maternal heart with words of consolation, and by manifesta- 
tions of His glory to compensate her for all the bitter sor- 
rows she had experienced during life, and especially at His 
passion and death. 

St. John the Evangelist, "the disciple whom Jesus loved," 
assures us that all the details and incidents of His divine 
Master's life upon earth, whether before or after His Resur- 
rection, are not to be found in the Holy Scriptures. He says, 
in closing his own account : ' ' There are also many other things 
which Jesus did ; which, if they were written, every one, the 
world itself, I think, would not be able to contain the books 
that should be written." Here we have from the lips of St. 
John an argument in defense of tradition; a plain assertion 
that the Scriptures can not be the sole rule of faith. For 
many things are not written, says the Evangelist. Hence, 
while we know that all Catholic teaching is founded on the 
word of God, yet we ought not to expect to find everything 
in the Bible. Speaking of himself St. John writes : ' ' This is 
that disciple who giveth testimony of these things, and hath 
written these things ; and we know that his testimony is true. ' ' 



CHAPTER V 



THE NINTH APPEARANCE OF JESUS. HIS ASCEN- 
SION 

Matt, xxviii. 18-20; Mark xvi. 15-19; Luke xxiv. 46-53; Acts i. 4-14 

1. The Final Promises. Charge to the Apostles 

"And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is 
given to Me in heaven and in earth. Going, therefore, into 
the whole world, teach ye all nations, preach the gospel to 
every creature, baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to ob- 
serve all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And 
behold, I am with you all days even to the consummation of 
the world. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, 
but he that believeth not shall be condemned." 

"And these signs shall follow them that believe. In My 



424 THE NINTH APPEARANCE OF JESUS 

name, they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new 
tongues : they shall take up serpents ; and if they shall drink 
any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay their 
hands upon the sick and they shall recover." 

"The Acts of the Apostles" assure us that besides the 
miracles wrought by the apostles, many wonders were also 
performed by the faithful laity. At a time when Christianity 
was to be introduced into the world, the frequent performance 
of miracles was necessary, in order to prove and confirm the 
teachings of the Gospel. For later generations, however, and 
especially for ourselves, this frequent recurrence of miracles 
is not at all required. For we see before us the standing 
miracle of the Church itself. We are witnesses of her miracu- 
lous history ; we have the united testimony of millions of mar- 
tyrs and confessors. 

' ' And He said to them : Thus it is written ; and thus it 
behoved Christ to suffer and to rise again from the dead on 
the third day ; and that penance and remission of sins should 
be preached in His name unto all nations, beginning at Je- 
rusalem. And you are witnesses of these things; and I send 
the promise of My Father upon you ; but stay you in the city 
till you be endued with power from on high." 

"He led" His disciples out of the city of Jerusalem, "as 
far as Bethania, and commanded them that they should not 
depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for the promise of the 
Father which j'ou have heard," saith He, "by My mouth. 
For John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be bap- 
tized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence. They 
therefore who were come together asked Him, saying : Lord, 
wilt Thou at this time re-establish the kingdom of Israel? 
But He said to them : It is not for you to know the times or 
moments which the Father hath put in His own power. But 
you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost, coming upon 
you, and you shall be witnesses unto Me in Jerusalem, and 
in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of 
the earth," 

2. The Ascension 

All these conversations were held, probably, partly in the 
imi at Jerusalem, partly in the house of Lazarus at Beth- 
ania ; although commentators are not agreed regarding the 
exact time and place. He now arose and went out with Mary 
and His apostles to Mount Olivet. This mountain having 



HIS ASCENSION 425 

been the scene of the agony and humiliation of the Son of 
Man, was chosen by Him to be the witness of His glorious 
Ascension. Many of the disciples and several devout women 
followed at some distance. 

How tender the words of parting which were now addressed 
by the divine Son to His Virgin Mother, and to the apostles 
and disciples ! How lovingly and fervently they kissed, for 
the last time, the marks of the wounds on the feet of their 
glorified Lord ! What tears of reverence and love, of min- 
gled joy and sadness, fell from the eyes of this glorious 
company ! 

"And after the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He lifted 
up His hands and He blessed them. And while they looked 
on, and while He blessed them. He departed from them, and 
was taken up into heaven,^ and a bright cloud received Him 
out of their sight. And He sitteth on the right hand of God. 
And they adored Him." 

"And while they were beholding Him going up to heaven, 
lo, two men stood by them in white garments, who also said : 
Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven. This 
Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come 
as you have seen Him going into heaven." 

"And having adored, they returned to Jerusalem, with 
great joy, from the mount that is called Olivet, which is nigh 
Jerusalem, within a Sabbath-day's journey. And when they 
were come in to the city they assembled in an upper room and 
remained together, persevering with one mind in prayer, 
with Mary the mother of Jesus, other devout women, and His 
brethren, and they were always in the temple praising God." 

3. The Festival of Ascension Thursday 
Every year, on the joyful festival of our Lord's Ascen- 
sion, a feast that has been most solemnly celebrated in the 
Church from remotest antiquity, the soul of every true Chris- 
tian yields itself up to pious meditation on those mysteries in 
the life of Jesus which may indeed be in some measure con- 
ceived by the believing heart, but which can not be spoken 
by human tongue. It is a festival of universal triumph. The 
just souls of the Old Testament triumph and rejoice, for now 
they have been released from limbo, and with power and glory 
are on their way to heaven. The holy angels are triumphant, 
for to-day they see, for the first time, the beginning of that 
'With the souls of the just whom He had delivered from limbo. 



426 THE LIFE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN 

glorious occupation by redeemed souls of the places made 
vacant ages before b}^ the fall of the angels. The prophets 
of old rejoice, for on this feast their prophecies concerning 
Christ's tirst coming have been completely verified. The 
Blessed Virgin exults, for now at last she beholds her beloved 
Son exchanging the cross of Good Friday for a happy and ever- 
lasting throne in heaven. Human nature triumphs, for now 
it is glorified in the person of Christ, and is enthroned at the 
right hand of its Creator. The whole human family rejoice, 
for now they have a powerful Advocate in heaven to prepare 
for men of good will dwellings of everlasting happiness. Jesus 
Christ Himself triumphs; for, having been obedient to the 
death of the cross, He, in reward therefor, will henceforth 
rule all nations, till He shall come again at the last day to 
judge the living and the dead. 

To-day Christ in the flesh really left this world; therefore, 
during the mass of the festival, the Easter-candle, which for 
forty days has stood burning on one side of the altar as the 
symbol of our risen Saviour, is extinguished and taken away. 
Yet Jesus is with us, really and truly present, in the Sacra- 
ment of the altar, waiting for us to approach Him, that we 
may, through the mysterious power of this Sacrament, obtain 
the grace to participate in His Ascension into heaven. 



CHAPTER VI 



THE LIFE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN AFTER THE 

ASCENSION OF JESUS. HER HAPPY DEATH. 

HER BURIAL. HER MIRACULOUS 

TRANSLATION INTO HEAVEN 

1. IVLvry's Outer Life 

Seraphim and Cherubim, and the w^hole court of heaven 
have given a reverent welcome to the returning King of 
Glory. And now that the clouds of heaven have shut out from 
our further view the sacred person of Jesus, let us turn awhile 
for consolation to His blessed Mother, who will yet remain 
amongst us for some time. Holy Scripture makes but two 
statements concerning the Blessed Virgin's life subsequent 
to the Ascension of Jesus ; namely, that she continued in con- 
stant and kindly intercourse with the apostles, and that St. 
John, the favorite disciple of her Son, took her under his own 



AFTER THE ASCENSION 427 

special care. Our Blessed Lady survived about fifteen years 
after the coming of the Holy Ghost. Most of this time she 
passed in the city of Jerusalem, in a simple and humble home 
on Mount Zion, converted after her death into a chapel by the 
apostles. 

The account given to St. Bridget by an angel of God of this 
portion of Mary's life is extremely interesting. "When the 
Son of God returned to His kingdom of glory, He wished that 
His Virgin Mother should remain for some time after Him 
upon earth in order to encourage and strengthen the good, 
and to reclaim the erring; to be a mother to the apostles, a 
support to the first martyrs, a teacher to the confessors, a 
model to the virgins, a comforter to the widows, and an ad- 
viser to married people. This mission she faithfully ful- 
filled ; for when the apostles came to her she disclosed to them 
all those things concerning the life of her Son which they 
did not know, or knew but imperfectly. For although they 
had been enlightened by the Holy Ghost, Mary had been 
more enlightened than they. She stimulated the martyrs to 
bear their trials courageously, and even cheerfully, for the 
sake of Jesus, who Himself had willingly submitted to the 
severest trials for their sake and salvation. She reminded 
them that she herself, for the three and thirty years preced- 
ing His death, had suffered with great patience continual 
affliction of heart. She modestly imparted many useful les- 
sons to the first confessors of the faith, who soon learned from 
her word and example to regulate their lives according to the 
maxims of her divine Son. From her the virgins learned how 
to keep themselves pure in thought, word and deed, to avoid 
levity and other occasions of sin, and to direct all their actions 
to the glory of God and the sanctification of their souls. She 
alleviated and soothed the sorrows of widows in their loneli- 
ness by relating her own sorrow at the death of St. Joseph, 
and especially at the cruel death of her son Jesus ; how in her 
heavy trials she had always submitted her will to the divine 
will, resolved to suffer meekly and patiently any and every 
tribulation, rather than to desert God for the greatest of 
earthly goods. Finally, she counselled the married people to 
love each other with pure and disinterested love, and to de- 
vote themselves with unreserved good will to the service of 
God. She told them how she and her departed spouse were 
always of one mind, and had loved each other faithfully till 
death parted them." 



428 THE LIFE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN 

2. Mary's Inner Life 

Mary was therefore in word and example the "Help of 
Christians," even during her sojourn upon earth. According 
to an ancient and reliable legend she did not remain continu- 
ously in Jerusalem, but went under the protection of her 
adopted son to the city of Ephesus in Minor Asia, where she 
spent some years, though she returned to Jerusalem before 
her death. In Ephesus, as at Jerusalem, Mary was a devoted 
mother to the new Christians, and especially a prudent coun- 
sellor and sincere comforter of the apostles in their arduous 
duties. Nor did she neglect her own inner life. But who can 
conceive the interior sanctity of her soul, or describe it in 
human language? For thirty-three years this virgin-mother 
had been witness to the sublime sanctity of her Son, had heard 
holiness itself come from His holy lips. From the day on 
which this Child of heaven first reposed upon her breast in 
Bethlehem, till the sad hour when, after His descent from 
the cross, His lacerated frame rested upon her lap, an un- 
broken stream of sublime holiness, of heavenly wisdom, flowed 
from His soul into hers. what a wealth of spiritual science, 
wisdom and enlightenment laj^ hidden in the Virgin Mary's 
heart ! Her whole interior life was nothing but a continued 
and blissful loss or burial of self in this abyss of knowledge ; 
an unceasing contemplation of the mysterious and glorious 
pictures which the life, miracles, and sweet conversation of 
the Son had left imprinted on her soul. 

Saint John was the privileged witness of this saintly life. 
He had been appointed by Jesus to guard and assist the 
Blessed J\Iother. He it was who every day offered up in her 
presence the unbloody sacrifice of her Son, and dispensed to 
her the bread of life. In return, Mary confided to him the 
mysterious world of her meditations, her knowledge of God, 
and her ardent longing for her beloved Son. And when he 
went to visit with reverence the places consecrated by the 
sufferings, and death, and burial of Jesus, Mary frequently 
accompanied him. AATien in the quiet evening hour he con- 
versed with her upon the life and sufferings of his beloved 
Master, or upon the labors and trials of the other apostles, 
relating to her the growth and prosperity of the infant 
Church, he received in return from her lips sweet words of 
heavenly wisdom. How at such times the very angels who 
hovered over them must have looked and listened with awe 



AFTER THE ASCENSION 429 

and ecstasy, and admired the seraphic holiness of these two 
spiritualized lives. 

3. Her Departure Foretold 

The nearer Mary came to the end of her life upon earth, 
the more ardently did she yearn to be set free from this 
world. She longed with a consuming love and motherly af- 
fection to go to her beloved Son, sighing wearily with the 
psalmist : " As the hart panteth after the fountains of water, 
so my soul panteth after Thee, my God. When shall I 
come and appear before the face of my Lord!" {Ps. xlii.) 
At last the hour arrived which the Lord in His unfathomable 
decrees had appointed for Mary's departure from earth. The 
manner and circumstances attending the revelation made to 
Mary of this hour are touchingly described in an ancient well- 
founded legend : ' ' One day, as our Blessed Mother was ab- 
sorbed in silent prayer on Mount Olivet, she became suddenly 
filled with such a desire to be reunited to her divine Son that 
her very heart throbbed violently within her bosom, and 
tears started from her eyes. So ardent was her motherly love 
that she could not bear to be any longer deprived of the pres- 
ence of her divine Son. Hence she eagerly and earnestly be- 
sought Him to release her from her long and anxious sus- 
pense. And as she prayed, behold an angel, resplendent in 
beauty, and carrying a palm-branch, appeared before her and 
respectfully addressed her, saying: 'Hail Mary, blessed 
Mother of my Lord ! He who was Israel 's blessing sends thee 
His blessing. ' And Mary replied : ' Reverend messenger from 
heaven, wherefore comest thou to greet me thus kindly?' 
And the angel answered : ' Thy Son Jesus, who is our Lord 
and our God, sends me hither to declare to thee that the hour 
approacheth when thou shalt appear before Him to receive 
the crown which He has prepared for thee. All the angels in 
heaven are in expectation of their future queen. ' Mary said : 
' Thanks to thee, celestial messenger, for this welcome tidings ; 
and may I ask thee to designate the day and hour of my 
departure ? ' Then said the angel : ' Three days from now, at 
the midnight hour, thou wilt die and be conducted into 
heaven.' Mary's joy was such at hearing this news, that she 
said aloud and fervently : ' Blessed art Thou, Jesus Christ, my 
Son and Lord, for Thou hast heard my ardent prayer, and 
marked me for the happiness of heaven. ' Then turning to the 
angel, she added: 'If I have found grace before the Lord, I 



430 THE LIFE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN 

would ask three favors more; first, that my Son would be 
pleased to come to my assistance in that last hour; secondly, 
that all the apostles may be with me in my agony, and may 
bury my body; lastly, that no evil spirits be permitted to 
disturb me.' The angel answered: 'Thj^ three requests are 
granted ; for thy Son will be with thee, the holy apostles, now 
scattered throughout the nations, are to assemble here within 
three days, and the evil spirits thou needest not to fear, for 
they have all been placed in thy power since thou hast crushed 
the serpent's head.' Then handing her a palm-branch, he 
continued : ' Receive this bough brought from paradise ; it is 
a token of thy triumph over all enemies ; direct it to be borne 
before thy remains, and no evil spirit can come near. ' Saying 
which, and bowing reverently, the angel winged his way back 
to heaven." 

4. Her Peaceful and Happy Death 

Another ancient legend thus relates the circumstances of 
Mary's death: "When the holy apostles, led by heaven, 
arrived in Jerusalem, they found the mother of their beloved 
Lord prostrated with excessive weakness and languor. Won- 
deringly they inquired, What meaneth thy sad and languid 
state, honored Mother? Why do we find thee ailing, who 
never before complained ? Mary replied : The fire of divine 
love hath touched my heart, lighting up an irrepressible de- 
sire to see my beloved Son, and to dwell with Him forever; 
and so my body languishes and grows faint, and I shall soon 
die. The apostles replied : As says the bride in the Canticle, 
we will stay thee up with sweet-smelling flowers whose fra- 
grance will refresh and strengthen thee. Mary rejoined: But 
one flower, the flower from the root of Jesse, my own beloved 
Son Jesus, can now revive me ; for Him my soul longeth. He 
hath heard my prayer, and hath revealed to me that in three 
days' time I shall join Him in heaven. I have besought Him 
to come to my assistance in my hour of death. On hearing 
these words, the apostles could not repress their sighs and 
tears, yet said : Blessed Lady, must thou then go and leave us 
behind? Thou art our chief source of comfort upon earth; 
for whenever we saw thee, or on our journeys thought of thee, 
we felt as if we had our blessed Master yet with us. When 
thou shalt be gone, we will be then really orphans. Mary 
replied : Be comforted, friends of my divine Son. During the 
three days yet to come, let us console each other in prayer. 



AFTER THE ASCENSION 431 

When I leave you, I will become your intercessor with my Son. 
With reverent devotion the apostles listened to the beautiful 
words of the Virgin, as she revealed to them high and holy 
mysteries of God and the kingdom of heaven, till their hearts 
became inflamed with the fire of divine love. 

"Toward the close of the day, on the thirteenth of August, 
the Blessed Virgin fell into a trance, and remained wrapt 
in ecstatic contemplation of heavenly things till about mid- 
night. Then came in great splendor and glory her Son Jesus, 
surrounded by choirs of angelic spirits, and filling her humble 
abode with a flood of celestial brightness. All those who were 
present saw, with their bodily eyes, Jesus and the angels, and 
inferred from this dazzling display of glory and majesty that 
Mary in her holy communings and contemplations was indeed 
enjoying a foretaste of heaven. Jesus, bending over the pros- 
trate form of His dying mother, impressed a kiss upon her 
pallid brow, and said, in gentle tones, Be of good courage, 
dearest mother, and rejoice; for the happy hour has come 
at last that is to see thee united with Me forever in paradise. 
Mary replied in feeble voice : Blessed art Thou, sweet Lord 
and Saviour ; thanks to Thee for being pleased to come to re- 
lease me from my long and dreary exile." 

And now the heavenly choirs broke forth in softest, sweetest 
strains to sing : ' ' Thou art all fair, Virgin, and there is no 
stain in thee. Thy lips are sweet as honey; milk and honey 
are under thy tongue. Thy eyes are soft as the eyes of doves ; 
thy lips are delicate as the pomegranate, and the perfumes 
of thy virtues are beyond the sweetest spices. Rejoice, for 
winter is over; the rain storm has passed by, the flowers are 
coming forth, the blossoming vineyard gives forth its fra- 
grance, and the voices of birds are heard in the land. Make 
haste, arise, princess ; come down from. Libanus, and thou 
shalt be crowned. Alleluia ! ' ' Then as the hour of midnight 
struck, the condescending Jesus, with joyous words, invited 
His beloved Mother to heaven, saying: "Arise, My friend. My 
chosen one; I will place thee on My throne, for I have long 
desired thee. ' ' Mary answered : ' ' My soul doth magnify the 
Lord, and my spirit rejoiceth in God my Saviour. The Lord 
hath looked down upon the lowliness of His handmaid, and 
behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 
I am ready, Lord ! my soul is ready. Into Thy hands I 
commend my spirit." Hereupon the sovereignty of divine 
majesty stooped down and entered into the humble heart of 



432 THE LIFE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN 

the Virgin, filling it with such overpowering consolation that 
her holy soul was completely absorbed in God. And thus this 
pure and immaculate soul was gently separated from her body 
by an ecstasy of delight, and borne away by her own divine 
Son and the angels to the throne of the adorable Trinity. 

The old reliable legend continues: "Very soon three devout 
and sinless maidens prepared the sacred remains of the 
Blessed Virgin for the grave ; wrapping it in new white linen ; 
while the apostles, in another room assembled, sang the psalms 
and hynuis in praise of their departed Mother. On their way 
to the grave, St. John walked ahead, bearing in his hand the 
palm-branch brought from paradise by the angel. The chief 
apostles, Peter and Paul, with the aid of others, carried the 
precious remains. All the disciples, all the faithful dwelling 
in Jerusalem, followed with solemn, slow and reverent pace, 
chanting psalms and hymns in which even angels' voices were 
heard to mingle. The remains were thus conducted out to the 
vallej' of Josaphat, and gently placed by sorrowing friends 
in a sepulcher of stone, not far from the garden of Olives." 
After the entombment, all the apostles and crowds of the 
faithful lingered near the sacred spot in prayer, meditation 
and chanting of psalms, till the third day, which was the 
fifteenth of August, when, according to well-authenticated his- 
tory, the sacred body itself of Mary was translated into 
heaven, 

5. Her Glorious Assumption 

The Church commemorates every year, on the glorious fes- 
tival of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, this 
miraculous translation of the body and soul of Mary into 
heaven. Many learned writers are of the opinion that this 
festival was established by the apostles themselves. History 
testifies that it was known in the East as early as the time of 
Constantine the Great, and universally observed with much 
pomp and devotion. In the West we find it to have been kept 
as one of the first-class festivals of the Church in the sixth 
century. As may be seen from the ancient prayers appointed 
to be recited on this feast, the Church commemorated not only 
the admission of Mary's soul into heaven, but also the miracu- 
lous translation of her body ; for although the doctrine of the 
bodily assumption of the Blessed Virgin into heaven was not 
at the time a defined article of faith in the strict sense, yet 
as the learned Pope Benedict remarks, it would be presump- 



AFTER THE ASCENSION 433 

tuous and blameworthy in any one to call into question or to 
doubt this beautiful and consoling belief of ages. 

6. Her Crowning in Heaven 

To the mystery of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary, the Church joins that of her glorious coronation in 
heaven. For it was reasonable and becoming that she who 
once with Jesus wore the thorny crown of shame and con- 
tempt should now share with Him the crown of immortal 
glory. It was but fair and just that the immaculate being 
who was chosen, above all the inhabitants of heaven and of 
earth, to be the true and worthy Mother of the Son of God, 
should now be solemnly installed over all creatures in heaven 
and earth, as the queen of men and of angels, and that to her 
should be offered homage, praise and honor by the nine choirs 
of the blessed spirits, as well as by the souls of the saints. 
It was right and proper that the illustrious and privileged 
parent to whom in life even the Son of God was obedient 
should now be endowed in heaven with great power and 
authority, so that whatever she asks of Him may be granted 
to her. 

Therefore, look up, poor, sin-burdened soul ! look up to 
that beaming, brilliant queen of heaven. Your gentle Mother 
tells you that she will help you; and the diadem which she 
wears upon her brow is a proof that she has power to help you. 
Do not refuse the hand of this powerful friend in heaven, 
for she will lift you from the depths of your misery, from the 
rocky shoals of temptation, and lead you strong and victorious 
into the presence of her divine Son. Thus you will awake into 
a new and supernatural life in Christ Jesus, to share in the 
grace-laden mysteries of His life, passion, and triumph, 

great, glorious and illustrious queen of heaven ! Forget 
us not. On account of sin, this earth was accursed, and the 
crown of thorns which grew from its accursed bosom have 
wounded our heads. Mary, glorious Mother of Him Who 
changed the curse into a blessing, and Who placed upon His 
own brow the crown of thorns in atonement for our sins ! 
Mary, adorned with the shining crown of eternal glory! 
forget us not. Heal the wounds which the thorns of sin have 
made in our souls, lighten our tribulation of soul, and help 
us with thy motherly intercession before the throne of thy 
Son. Obtain for us the grace to pass our lives in the prac- 
tice of such purity, that these bodies of ours, although inex- 



434 THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST 

orably doomed to pass through the corruption of the grave, 
may on the last day arise to put on never-ending incorrup- 
tiou. Amen. 



CHAPTER VII 



THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST MYSTERIOUSLY AND 

MIRACULOUSLY CONTINUED IN HIS 

CHURCH UPON EARTH 

1. The Founding of the Church. Its Nature 

Step by step, under the guidance of the holy evangelists, 
we have accompanied our Blessed Lord through His earthly 
life, from Bethlehem to Calvary, and thence to Mount Tabor, 
where we witnessed His triumphant ascent into heaven. We 
have heard Him preaching heavenly truth to the Jews of His 
time, we have beheld Him granting saving grace to men of 
good will, and we have seen Him attesting and sealing His 
words of truth and His works of power and of mercy by His 
atoning death upon the cross. 

And now the question arises: What is Christ to us, to all 
the generations who have lived and died during the long lapse 
of time since He dwelt upon earth? No one of our genera- 
tion has looked upon Christ with corporeal eye. No one of us 
has heard His words of wisdom, or felt the touch of His 
blessed hand. We have not been permitted to stand with 
Mary, and John, and Magdalen under the cross, nor to be 
sprinkled like them with His saving blood. He has ascended 
into heaven, and now sits in unapproachable majesty at the 
right hand of His Father; whilst we are living in exile upon 
earth. How then can we have any share in the truth, bless- 
ings, and graces of this Christ? 

Our question is a vain and foolish one. If we but look with 
the eye of faith, we will soon easily discover that this same 
Christ, with all the fulness of His wisdom, power, and mercy, 
is still living in our midst, as He had promised to do : "Behold, 
I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the 
world." 

Let us therefore examine and study carefully the plan 
adopted by our Saviour, whereby He continues still to dwell 
in our midst, forwarding the work of salvation in all lands, 
and during all time. 



CONTINUED IN HIS CHURCH 435 

Christ redeemed us as Teacher, as Priest, and as King : as 
Teacher, by preaching heavenly wisdom; as Priest, by the 
atoning sacrifice offered upon the cross ; and as King, by enact- 
ing and inculcating laws or commandments. As teacher. He 
rescued us from spiritual blindness by giving us the truth 
of heaven; as divine-human Priest, He redeemed us from the 
guilt of sin by offering Himself in sacrifice on Mount Calvary ; 
as God-man-king, He saved us by His maxims and command- 
ments from folly and wickedness of life. 

And now, if this teaching office, this priesthood, and this 
kingly authority still and truly exist upon earth, the Redeemer 
Himself must still live really and truly upon earth. 

That Christ lives in the mystical body of the Church upon 
earth as our Teacher, there can be no doubt. Call to mind 
how this divine Teacher sent forth His apostles to preach to 
all nations, to teach all- truth as He had imparted it to them, 
and to teach it wdth the same authority and infallible certainty 
as He Himself had taught it : " He who hears you hears Me. ' ' 

Call to mind how our divine High-priest, on the eve of His 
passion, instituted and offered up, in a mysterious manner 
and by anticipation, the saving sacrifice, saying : * ' This is My 
body which shall be delivered for you, this is My blood which 
shall be shed for you." Remember, too, how He committed 
to the hands of the apostles for all time to come this holy 
sacrifice of His body and blood, saying : ' ' Do this, " as I have 
just done, "in commemoration of Me." Recall to mind how 
He gave to the apostles power to baptize, to forgive sins, to 
bless ; in a word, to so dispense graces in His name that these 
same apostles were able to say later of themselves with truth : 
"Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ; and 
the dispensers of the mysteries of God." (1 Cor. iv. 1.) 

Remember, finally, how our divine King transmitted His 
spiritual prerogatives of royalty to the apostles, with the 
words : "All power is given to Me in heaven and on earth. As 
the Father sent Me, so I send you." It was by virtue of this 
charge that the apostles prescribed for all the nations to whom 
they preached, all those laws and regulations, and established 
all those arrangements, which they deemed necessary for the 
spiritual welfare, or conducive to the eternal salvation of men. 

Hence, we see clearly that although Christ has returned to 
heaven. He has not left us orphans, but has been pleased to 
remain mystically with us, carrying on, through His apostles, 
as His chosen instruments, His threefold office of Redeemer 



436 THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST 

till the end of time. In union with their Head, St. Peter, the 
apostles were to traverse the earth, preaching, dispensing 
graces, ordaining and becoming fishers of men, in order to 
bring all men to a share in the benefits of truth, grace, and 
salvation through Christ, to unite them to Jesus Himself in 
oneness of life, and to join them together in one large and 
glorious mystical bodv of which Christ was to be the invisible 
Head. 

Such was the duty imposed by Christ on His apostles. But 
the apostles were mortal, and died, one after the other, during 
the first century of Christianity. The threefold office of 
teacher, priest, and ruler committed to them by Christ should 
endure till the end of time. Hence it is clear that when the 
divine Founder of our Church imparted this threefold power 
to His apostles, in order to perpetuate His Church, He meant 
not only the twelve men standing there and then in His pres- 
ence, but that His divine gaze extended to all their lawful 
successors, the popes, bishops, and priests to the end of the 
world, as if they stood all in His presence Avhen He spoke. In 
this sense it was that He said to them all: "Lo, I am with 
you all days, even to the consummation of the world." 

The apostles, therefore, and their legitimate successors, are 
the persons to whom Christ entrusted the duty of forming, in 
His name, among all nations and in all ages, a holy community 
or spiritual society ; or rather of extending and strengthening 
the original society established by Himself. 

This spiritual society, consisting originally of the apostles, 
disciples, and a few devout believers, became like the mustard 
seed of the parable, a great tree, whose branches were spread 
over all the earth. And this is the universal or Catholic 
Church, in which Christ, by the instrumentality of His 
apostles and their successors, perpetuates forever His work of 
salvation, and applies it to each individual soul. His truth. 
His saving grace. His redeeming sacrifice, all His merits as 
God-man from His birth to His death ; these are the glorious 
treasures of this society, the riches of that grand corporation 
in which each member who has been duly admitted by baptism 
has a right to participate. 

2. How THE Holy Ghost Inspires th^?, Church 

If it is true, as it certainly is, that our divine Founder 
entrusted the duty and the power to the apostles and their 
successors of directing His holy Church in sanctity and truth, 



CONTINUED IN HIS CHURCH 437 

they had a very difficult and onerous duty to perform. The 
work was above human strength and sagacity, while the 
apostles themselves, as well as their successors, were mere men, 
liable to death and sin, exposed to error and changes. How 
could such incapable men accomplish this superhuman task? 
And granting that the apostles had been confirmed in their 
faith, in sanctity of life, in zeal for God's kingdom upon earth, 
by Jesus Christ Himself, and hence succeeded in preserving 
pure and unchanged His sacred legacy of truth and holiness 
among the nations of their times, how could their successors 
in the course of centuries be expected to enjoy similar strength 
and holiness ? Whence were they to draw it 1 Alas ! poor 
human nature is sadly prone to whims, to passion, to insta- 
bility, and change. And will not this corruption of human 
nature so affect the leaders in God's Church that in a few 
years after the death of the apostles the work of Christ will 
languish, die, and be forgotten? 

How many societies have been established within the lapse 
of nineteen hundred years, many with the very best and most 
laudable ends in view; founded, too, in the wisdom and ex- 
perience of wise men, carried on with prudence and sagacity ! 
Yet in the course of time evil crept in, they changed, became 
corrupt, fell to pieces, and have long since been forgotten even 
in history. Will not the society of the Church encounter a 
similar fate? 

Certainly not; for glory, honor, and praise be to God, this 
society has not only been founded by Christ, but He has more- 
over infused into it for all time a divine vital power. He has 
sent truly His own Holy Spirit, as is related in the Acts of 
the Apostles in the following words of the evangelist, St. 
Luke: 

"And when the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, 
they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came 
a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it 
filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there 
appeared to them parted tongues, as it were of fire, and it 
sat upon every one of them. And they were all filled with 
the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with divers tongues 
according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak. Now there 
were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men out of every 
nation under heaven. And when this was noised abroad, the 
multitude came together, and were confounded in mind, because 
that every man heard them speak in his own tongue. And 



438 THE LIFE OP JESUS CHRIST 

the.y were all amazed, and wondered, saying: Behold, are not 
all these that speak Galileans, and how have we heard every 
man our own tongue wherein we were born? Parthians, and 
Medes, and Elamites, and inhabitants of Mesopotomia, Judea, 
and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphilia, 
Egypt and the parts of Lybia about Cyrene, and strangers of 
Rome, Jews also, and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians ; we have 
heard them speak in our own tongues the wonderful works 
of God. And they were all astonished, and wondered, saying 
one to another. What meaneth this? But others, mocking, 
said : These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing 
up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and spoke to them: 
Ye men of Judea, and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, be 
this known to you, and with your ears receive my words ; for 
these are not drunk, as you suppose, seeing it is but the third 
hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken of by 
the prophet Joel : And it shall come to pass, in the last days 
(saith the Lord), I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh; 
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your 
young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream 
dreams. And upon I\Iy servants indeed, and upon My hand- 
maids will I pour out in those days of My Spirit, and they 
shall prophesy. Ye men of Israel, hear these words : Jesus 
of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles 
and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst 
of you, as you also know ; this same, being delivered up, by 
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you, by 
the hands of wicked men, have crucified and slain. This Jesus 
hath God raised again, whereof all we are witnesses. Being 
exalted, therefore, by the right hand of God, and having re- 
ceived of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath 
poured forth this which you see and hear." 

From this we can understand why the Catholic Church is 
the only one among all the institutions upon the earth that 
remains unchanged and unchangeable; why with her, truth 
has never been adulterated or obscured, even in the ages of 
darkest ignorance in the world ; why her saving graces, amid 
aU the corruptions of men, have never been weakened nor 
diminished. She was made immortal for all time by the in- 
fusion of God's breath, the Holy Ghost, on the day of Pente- 
cost. Yes, the Holy Ghost dwells within her, that Spirit which 
renews the face of the earth as the Psalmist sings; that good 
and comforting Spirit mentioned in the book of Wisdom ; that 



CONTINUED IN HIS CHURCH 439 

Spirit of knowledge and understanding, of counsel and forti- 
tude, of understanding and piety, foretold by Isaias; that 
Spirit which comes to aid us in our weakness, as St. Paul 
writes to the Romans; that Spirit promised by Christ to 
His apostles, who was to teach them all things and to lead them 
to all truth. 

Since the Catholic Church has really received this Holy 
Spirit as her own life and soul and strength, the personal 
faults of her visible rulers and leaders can do her no real 
harm. She remains always the same, even if some of her 
members fall into error and crime and desert her. Pure, spot- 
less, and immortal, she remains the pillar and ground of 
truth, as St. Paul styles her; and the gates of hell shall not 
prevail against her. 



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IDOLS. Navery. 

IN THE DAYS OF KING HAL. Taggart. 
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LADY OF THE TOWER. 
LADY OF TFIE VIOLETS. 
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PILKINGTON HEIR. Sadlier. 

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WHERE THE ROAD LED. 

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WORLD WELL LOST. Robertson. 

JUVENILES 

ALTHEA. NiRDLINGER. 

ADVENTURE WITH THE APACHES. AN. Ferry. 

AS GOLD IN THE FURNACE. Copus. 

AS TRUE AS GOLD. Mannix. 

ARMORER OF SOLINGEN. Herchenbach. 

BELL FOUNDRY, THE. Schaching. 

BERKLEYS. THE. Wight. 

BEST FOOT FORWARD. Finn. 

BETW^EEN FRIENDS. Aumerle. 

BLACK LADY, THE. Schmid. 

BISTOURI. Melandri. 

BLISSYLVANIA POST-OFFICE. Taggart. 

BOB-O'-LINK. Waggaman. 





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45 




45 




85 




85 




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45 




45 




45 



BOYS IN' THE BLOCK. Egan. 25 

BROWNIE AND I. Aumerle. 85 

BUNT AND BILL. C. Mulholland. 45 

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GOLDEN LILY, THE. Hinkson. 45 

GREAT CAPTAIN, THE. Hinkson. 45 

GUILD BOYS OF RIDINGDALE. Bearne. 85 

HALDEMAN children, THE. Mannix. 45 

HARMONY FLATS. Whitmire. 85 

HARRY DEE. Finn. 85 

HARRY RUSSELL. Copus. 85 

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HIS FIRST AND LAST APPEARANCE. Finn. 1 00 

HOP BLOSSOMS, THE. Schmid. 25 

HOSTAGE OF WAR. Bonesteel. 45 

HOW THEY WORKED THEIR WAY. Egan. 75 

IN QUEST OF THE GOLDEN CHEST. Barton. 1 15 

INUNDATION, THE, AND OTHER TALES. Herchenbach. 45 

"JACK." 45 

JACK HILDRETH ON THE NILE. Taggart. 85 

JACK O'LANTERN. Waggaman. 45 

JUNIORS OF ST. BEDE'S. Bryson. 85 

JUVENILE ROUND TABLE. First Series. 1 00 

JUVENILE ROUND TABLE. Second Series. 1 00 

JUVENILE ROUND TABLE. Third Series. 1 00 

KLONDIKE PICNIC, A. Donnelly. 85 

LAMP OF THE SANCTUARY. Wiseman. 25 
LEGENDS AND STORIES OF THE CHILD JESUS FROM MANY 

LANDS. Lutz. 75 

LITTLE APOSTLE ON CRUTCHES. Delamare. 45 

LITTLE GIRL FROM BACK EAST. Roberts. 45 

LITTLE MISSY. Waggaman. 45 

LOYAL BLUE AND ROYAL SCARLET. Taggart. 85 

MADCAP SET AT ST. ANNE'S. Brunowe. 45 

MAKING OF MORTLAKE. Copus. 85 

MARKS OF THE BEAR CLAWS. Spalding. 85 

MARY TRACY'S FORTUNE. Sadlier. 45 

MASTER FRIDOLIN. Giehrl. 25 

MELOR OF THE SILVER HAND. Bearne, 85 

MILLY AVELING. S. T. Smith. 85 

MORE FIVE O'CLOCK STORIES. 75 

MOSTLY BOYS. Finn. 85 

MY STRANGE FRIEND. Finn. 25 



MYSTERY OF CLEVERLY. Barton. 85 

MYSTERIOUS DOORWAY. Sadlier. 45 

MYSTERY OF HORNBY HALL. Sadlier. 85 

XAN NOBODY. Waggaman. 45 

NED RIEDER. Wehs. 85 

NEW BOYS AT RIDINGDALE. Bearne. 85 

NEW SCHOLAR AT ST. ANNE'S. Brunowe. 85 

OLD CHARLMONT'S SEED BED. S. T. Smith. 45 

OLD MILL ON THE WITHROSE. Spaiding. 85 

OLD ROBBER'S CASTLE. Schmid. 25 

OUR LADY'S LUTEMST. Bearne. 85 

OX'ERSEER OF MAHLBOURG. Schmid. 25 

PANCHO AND PAN CHITA. Mannix. 45 

PAULINE ARCHER. Sadlier. 45 

PEVIL OF DIONYSIO. Mannix 45 

PERCY WYNN. Finn. 85 

PETRONILLA. Donnelly. 85 

PICKLE AND PEPPER. Dorsey. 85 

PILGRIM FROM IRELAND. Carnot. 45 

PLAYWATER PLOT. Waggaman. 60 

PO\'ERINA. BucKENHAM. 85 

QUEEN'S PAGE. Hinkson. 45 

gUEEN'S PROMISE. Waggaman. 60 

Race for copper island. Spalding. 85 

RECRUIT TOMMY COLLINS. Bonesteel. 45 

RIDINGDALE FLOWER SHOW. Bearne. 85 

ROMANCE OF THE SILX'ER SIIOON. Bearne. 85 

ROSE BUSH. THE. Schmid. 25 

SEA-GULLS ROCK. Sandeau. 45 

SEVEN LITTLE MARSHALLS. Nixon-Roulet. 45 

SEVEN LITTLE MARSHALLS AT THE LAKE. Nixon-Roulet. 85 

SIL-VDOWS LIFTED. Copus. 85 

SHEER PLUCK. Bearne. 85 

SHERIFF OF THE BEECH FORK. Spalding. 85 

ST. CUTH BERT'S. Copus. 85 

STRONG ARM OF AV.\LON. W^aggaman. 85 

SUGAR-CAMP AND AFTER. Spalding. 85 

SUMMER AT WOODVILLE. Sadlier. 45 

TALES AND LEGENDS OF THE MIDDLE AGES. Copella, 75 

TALISMAN. THE. Sadlier. 60 

TAMING OF POLLY. Dorsey. 85 

THAT FOOTBALL GAME. Finn. 85 

THREE GIRLS AND ESPECIALLY ONE. Taggart. 45 

THREE LITTLE KINGS. Giehrl. 25 

TOLD IN THE TWILIGHT. Mother Salome. 85 

TOM LOSELY: BOi'. Copus. 85 

TOM'S LUCK-POT. Waggaman. 45 

TOM PLAYFAIR. Finn. 85 

TOORALLADDY. W'alsh. 45 

TRANSPLANTI.VG OF TESSIE. Waggaman. 60 

TREASURE OF NUGGET MOUNTAIN. Taggart. 85 

TWO LITTLE GIRLS. Mack. 45 

VIOLIN MAKER. THE. Schaching. 45 
WAGER OF GERALD O'ROURKE. Play adapted froM a story by 

Father Finn. net, 35 

WAYWARD WINIFRED. Sadlier. 85 

WINNETOU THE APACHE KNIGHT. Taggart, 85 

W^ITCH OF RIDINGDALE. Bearne. 85 

WRONGFULLY ACCUSED. Herchenbach. 45 

YOUNG COLOR GUARD. Bonesteel. 45 



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